France, June 10 -- New monthly records were set during the month, creating what Copernicus described as "particularly difficult" conditions in France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal.

"In Europe, an unusually early and intense heatwave shows how quickly extreme weather events are becoming the norm rather than the exception," Samantha Burgess, a climatologist at Copernicus, said.

May this year ranked second to the record-breaking month of May 2024 in Copernicus's monthly global climate assessment.

Temperatures likely to remain at record levels until 2030, UN warns Heat arriving earlier

Combined land and sea temperatures averaged 15.81C worldwide in May - or 1.42C above estimated temperatures during the pre-industrial period of...