Last month was the warmest January on record globally, while in Europe temperatures were a balmy three degrees Celsius above the average January from 1981 to 2010.

Across a band of countries stretching from Norway to Russia, temperatures were an unprecedented 6°C above the same 30-year benchmark, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported in a statement.

New temperature highs – monthly, yearly, decadal – have become commonplace due to the impact of climate change, caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, scientists say.

The five last years have been the hottest on record, as was the ten-year period 2010-2019.