Climate change has resulted in the hottest November - with more to come, experts say.
The world endured the hottest recorded November while Europe experienced its warmest autumn weather, according to the monthly report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The service is building a European Union knowledge base in support of mitigation and adaptation policies that combat climate change and world warming.
The service's analysis of surface and air temperatures found November was 0.8 C (1.44 F) warmer than the 30-year average between 1981 and 2010. November also broke the previous record set in 2016 by more than 0.1 C.
Service data showed temperatures in the boreal fall (September-November) in Europe were 1.9 C higher than the 1981 to 2010 norm and 0.4 C higher than the average temperature for 2006.
The average temperature for November in Europe was 2.2 C higher than in Novembers between 1981 and 2010. It was also the joint second-highest on record.
The warmest was November 2015 - which was 2.4 C higher than normal.
"These records are consistent with the long-term warming trend of the global climate," service director Carlo Buontempo said.
"All policymakers who prioritize mitigating climate risks should see these records as alarm bells."
Buontempo said November was "an exceptionally warm month." He also said temperatures in the Arctic and northern Siberia remained consistently high. On the other hand, sea ice was near its lowest.
"This trend is concerning and highlights the importance of comprehensive monitoring of the Arctic, as it is warming faster than the rest of the world," he explained.
The five hottest years have all occurred since 2015.
The World Meteorological Organization's annual climate report issued last week said 2020 was on course to be one of the three warmest years - behind 2016 and 2019.
It said the average world temperature was about 1.2 C above preindustrial levels. World temperatures must be kept from rising above 1.5 C to avoid serious effects on the planet, it said.
