Summer 2024 was the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere since records began, the European Union's climate change service Copernicus said on Friday.

The global average temperature for boreal summer (June to August) 2024 was the highest on record at 0.69 degrees Celsius (1.24 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991 to 2020 average for those three months, according to Copernicus data.

"During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record," deputy director Samantha Burgess said.

"This string of record temperatures is increasing the likelihood of 2024 being the hottest year on record," she said.

"The temperature-related extreme events witnessed this summer will only become more intense, with more devastating consequences for people and the planet unless we take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The average European temperature over the three summer months was the highest on record at 1.54 degrees Celsius, above the 1991 to 2020 average, exceeding the previous record from 2022 of 1.34 degrees Celsius.

The report said it was wetter than average in western and northern Europe. Most of the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe saw drier-than-average conditions throughout the season, in some cases associated with drought.

From September 2023 to August 2024, the global average temperature was 1.64 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, according to Copernicus data.

The European Union's Copernicus climate service regularly publishes data on the earth's surface temperature, sea ice cover and precipitation.

The findings are based on computer-generated analyses incorporating billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations worldwide.