Europe is grappling with an unprecedented heatwave that has shattered temperature records and left countries from Austria to Switzerland in searing heat in what meteorologists are calling the hottest September ever recorded in the continent.

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland have all been scorched by soaring temperatures throughout September. The French weather authority, Météo-France, reported that the average temperature for September reached a staggering 21.5°C, a remarkable 3.5°C to 3.6°C above the 1991-2020 reference period.

This marked a historic milestone, making it the hottest September since record-keeping began in 1900. Notably, several regions witnessed deviations from the September average of the past three decades as temperatures were recorded 4 to 6 degrees above average.

David Dehenauw of the Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute said, "Here too, September was hotter than July and August, which has not happened since 1961. Belgium has never experienced a month of September this warm."

Météo-France meteorologist Christine Berne remarked that an "exceptional" month had seen the breaking of "a great many" monthly temperature records, including the issuance of heatwave alerts in September for the first time in France, making way for the hottest September ever since 1900.

Germany's weather office, DWD, echoed the sentiment, declaring this September as the hottest in national records, with temperatures nearly 4°C higher than the 1961-1990 baseline.

Read more: July hottest month recorded to date: EU climate observatory

Poland's weather institute revealed that last month's temperatures were 3.6°C higher than the average and the hottest for the month in over a century of recorded data. Austria and Switzerland reported similar record-breaking heat during September.

The records were amplified by a heatwave that struck Europe in the first half of September. In the Vienne department of France, temperatures soared to 38.8°C, marking the highest in the country.

The heatwave extended beyond France, with southern Spain experiencing what is believed to be the highest September temperature ever recorded in Europe— 45.7°C —in Montoro, near Córdoba, on September 5.

The European Union's climate monitor had previously reported that global temperatures during the northern hemisphere summer were the hottest on record. The Copernicus Climate Change Service has further raised concerns by predicting that 2023 is likely to be the hottest year humanity has ever experienced.

Scientists continue to emphasize that climate change, is responsible for the rising global temperatures. The world is currently experiencing approximately 1.2°C of warming above pre-industrial levels, leading to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and storms.

Read more: Burning planet: Record heatwaves sweep the world, demand urgent action