Japan had its second-hottest September since records began with some regions the warmest yet, the weather agency said, in a year likely to become the warmest in human history.
Across the archipelago the month’s average temperature was 2.52 degrees Celsius higher than usual, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday.
This was “the second highest figure since the start of the statistics in 1898, after last year’s high”, a statement said.
But some regions, including eastern and western parts of mainland Japan, logged the highest-ever average temperatures for September since comparable data began available in 1946, the agency added.
This year a record-breaking 1,452 locations across the country recorded “extremely hot weather,” defined as temperatures hitting 35 degrees or higher, in September.
As a result, 45 of the 153 observation points nationwide broke the record for the latest date of extremely hot weather.
“The temperature of the ocean surface near Japan was also markedly high, which possibly contributed to high temperatures on the ground,” it added, citing the “long-term effect of global warming” as well.
June and August global temperatures broke through the level of 1.5C above the pre-industrial average – a key threshold for limiting the worst effects of climate change.
