June 2019 was the hottest June on record, according to new global data released by Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Tuesday.

The global-average temperature was about 0.1°C (0.18°F) higher than the previous record for that month, in 2016.

Scientists at C3S, working on behalf of the European Union, attributed last month’s high to a strong El Niño event.

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The spike was particularly pronounced in Europe, where average temperatures were more than 2°C (3.6°F) above normal, driven by a mass of hot air coming from the Sahara Desert.

Researchers said that while it is difficult to directly attribute the heat spike to climate change, “such extreme weather events are expected to become more common as the planet continues to warm under increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.”

“Although this was exceptional, we are likely to see more of these events in the future due to climate change,” Jean-Noël Thépaut, head of C3S, said in a statement.

Researchers combined satellite data with historic temperature charts to make their determination.