Earth experienced its hottest day on RECORD last Sunday: Global average temperature hit 17.09°C on July 21 - and scientists say climate change is to blame

Earth just experienced its hottest day in recorded history, scientists at the EU's climate change programme have revealed. The Earth has just experienced its warmest day in recent history, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service data According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the 10 years with the highest daily average temperatures are the last 10 years – from 2015 to 2024. This map shows where Earth suffered extremes in terms of heat on July 21 - Earth's hottest day - compared to the 1991-2020 reference period A tourist drinks water to cool off while visiting the Acropolis as a prolonged heatwave hits Athens, July 21, 2024 Hottest days of the year: Top five July 21, 2024 - 62.76°F July 6, 2023 - 62.74°F August 13, 2016 - 62.24°F July 24, 2022 - 62.22°F July 10, 2019 - 62.16°F Figures refer to average surface air temperatures globally Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service C3S, managed by the European Commission, looks at temperature readings based on a variety of platforms and instruments, from weather stations to weather balloons and satellites. Note how the last 10 years have pushed much higher, compared with before the turn of the century People in Wimbledon Common, London, on the hottest day globally recorded so far - July 21, 2024 Pictured, firefighters try to extinguish a fire inside the yard of a house at the suburb of Trilofos near the city of Thessaloniki, Greece July 18, 2024 But other factors include especially high temperatures in interior California, which baked with triple digit Fahrenheit heat, complicating more than two dozen fires in the US West. A firefighter hoses down the garage of a home that was destroyed by the Hawarden Fire in Riverside, California, on Sunday, July 21, 2024 Tourists arrive on top of a bus at the Acropolis as a prolonged heatwave hits peak in Athens, July 21, 2024 However, Professor Victor Gensini, Northern Illinois University climate scientist, said 'what really kind of makes your eyeballs jump out' is how the last few years have been so much hotter than previous marks.