GENEVA – Earth had the hottest August on record, according to newly released weather data, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday, noting that the effects were felt around the planet.

The Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer, while the Southern Hemisphere had a near-record warm winter. Meanwhile, the Arctic and Antarctic each had below-average sea ice coverage in August.

Western Europe saw heatwaves in August, continuing an exceptional run of extreme heat that began in May, and severe drought conditions were reported in France, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Britain.

Large parts of central and eastern Europe also saw widespread dryness in August, in some cases persisting since May. Water flow levels were exceptionally low in major European rivers, including the Rhine, Danube, Southern Bug and Dnieper.

El Nino was one of the drivers of August's record climate conditions, WMO said, adding that the climate pattern influenced global tropical cyclone activity as well as heavy rainfall and floods in some countries.

Data indicates that all 10 of the warmest Augusts on record have occurred since 2016, the agency said.