In pictures: July 3 was world's hottest day ever and the worst is yet to come

Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction. [ In pic: A woman walks on a street as she shields herself from the sun amid an alert for a heatwave in Shanghai, China.]

The average global temperature reached 17.01℃ (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92℃ (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world. [In pic: A security guard wearing an electric fan on his neck wipes his sweat on a hot day in Beijing]

The world's average air temperature, which fluctuates between around 12℃ and just under 17℃ on any given day over the year, averaged 16.2C at the beginning of July between 1979 and 2000. [In pic: A man covers his face with a scarf on a hot summer day in Ballia District in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India.]

The record has yet to be corroborated by other measurements, but could soon be broken as the northern hemisphere's summer begins. [In pic: A boy leaps over a fountain at a shopping and office complex in Beijing.]

The new high underscores the extremity of 2023's summer in the northern hemisphere. The heat this summer has already put millions of people around the world at risk. [In pic: Visitors and tourists to the World War II Memorial seek relief from the hot weather in the memorial's fountain on July 03, 2023 in Washington, DC. ]

In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35℃ (95F). China is experiencing its latest scorching heat wave less than two weeks after temperatures broke records in Beijing. [In pic: People shelter from the sun under an umbrella as they arrive to visit the Forbidden City during a heatwave in Beijing.] AFP

The southern US has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. [In pic : A homeless person lies on the sidewalk while holding a water bottle, Sunday, July 2, 2023, in downtown Los Angeles.]

North Africa has seen temperatures near 50℃ (122F). And even Antarctica, currently in its winter, registered anomalously high temperatures. [In pic : The sun rises over the Baltic Sea in Niendorf, northern Germany]

Ukraine's Vernadsky Research Base in the white continent's Argentine Islands recently broke its July temperature record with 8.7℃ (47.6F). [In pic : A couple walks in Ukrainian capital of Kyiv during a hot summer.]

Extreme heat in India last month has been linked to deaths in some of its poorest regions. [In pic : A village woman gives water an ambulance driver, to quench his thirst during a heat wave, on the way to a hospital in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.]

Last week saw a dangerous heat dome cover Texas and northern Mexico, while the UK baked in its hottest June on record. [In pic : Tourists hide under umbrellas from the sun in US as a heatwave settles in on the area.]

Scientists said climate change, combined with an emerging El Nino pattern, were to blame. [In pic : Volunteers distribute beverages to commuters in New Delhi]

The record has yet to be corroborated by other measurements, but could soon be broken as the northern hemisphere's summer begins. [In pic: A woman wipes her sweat with a cloth while standing in front of a fan, as residents of Canada Real neighbourhood struggle with scorching temperatures in Madrid, Spain]

The average global temperature typically continues to rise until the end of July or beginning of August. Even last month, average global temperatures were the warmest the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring unit had ever recorded for the start of June. [In pic: A woman uses a sweater to shield from the sun on a hot day in Beijing]

Temperatures are likely to rise even further above historical averages over the next year with the onset of an El Nino weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which the World Meteorological Organization confirmed on Monday is now underway. [In pic: A man dives into a canal during a heatwave in Beijing.]

In addition, human activity - mainly the burning of fossil fuels - is continuing to emit roughly 40 billion tonnes of planet-warming CO2 into the atmosphere every year. [In pic: A young boy plays in the water fountain at Yards Park in Washington, DC as a heatwave settles in on the area. ]