March was the 10th month in a row to be the hottest on record for the time of year, as global climate records continue to topple, scientists said.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) shows March 2024 was hotter globally than any other previous record for the month, with temperatures 1.68C warmer than the estimate for pre-industrial times.

It is the 10th month in the row to break records for the respective month of the year, the Copernicus analysis found.

The global average temperature for the last 12 months is also the highest on record, at 1.58C above the pre-industrial average from 1850-1900, pushing the world – temporarily at least- above the 1.5C threshold to which countries have agreed to limit global warming to avoid its most dangerous impacts.

Sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions were at record highs in March, averaging 21.07C for the month, marginally above the 21.06C recorded for February.