Earth’s average temperature matches record high set a day earlier

The daily highs are an indication that climate change is reaching uncharted territory

A contractor cleans the Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles on Wednesday during the third straight day that global temperatures unofficially hit a record-breaking high. In the US, heat advisories include portions of western Oregon, inland far northern California, central New Mexico, Texas, Florida and the coastal Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Centre. Photo: AP/Damian Dovarganes

Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high set the day before, the latest grim milestone in a week that has seen series of climate-change-driven extremes.

The average global temperature was 17.18C, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyser, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That matched a record set on Tuesday, and came after a previous record of 17.01C was set Monday.