Japan sees hottest September in 125 years; 2023 likely to be warmest in human history

This year is expected to be the hottest in human history as climate change accelerates.

Japan has seen its hottest September since records began 125 years ago, the weather agency said, in a year expected to be the warmest in human history. The scorching September's average temperature was 2.66 degrees Celsius (36.78 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Monday.

A woman wipes her face as she walks down a street in Tokyo in hot weather.(Reuters)

This was "the highest figure since the start of statistics in 1898", the agency said in a statement.

This year is expected to be the hottest in human history as climate change accelerates, with countries including Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland each announcing their warmest September on record.

French weather authority Meteo-France said the September temperature average in the country will be around 21.5 degrees Celsius, between 3.5C and 3.6C above the 1991-2020 reference period.

The UK, too, has matched its record for the warmest September since records began in 1884.