Last month, climate scientists reported June as the hottest month ever recorded in history. Temperatures continue to rise globally, and scientists are now reporting that July has broken the record for warmest month on record.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported on Thursday that July 2015 had the highest average temperatures worldwide since record-keeping began.
The first seven months of the year went on record with all time temperature highs, making it likely that 2015 will be the hottest year in history, reports CNN.
While July is typically the hottest month of the year, this one in particular saw warmer than usual temperatures. The average temperature in July, when averaged for all locations on Earth, was 61.86 degrees, according to USA Today. This beats out July 1998 and July 2010 for the record.
The United States and portions of western Asia were a few areas that didn’t experience extreme heat last month. While the US had a slightly warmer-than-average month, none of the states set a record high.
However, much of central and western Europe experienced extreme heat, along with France, who had its third warmest July. Spain had the hottest July on record, and several cities in Austria broke the record for the hottest month ever recorded in the history of 249 years the country has kept records.
NOAA reported that the combined average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was 1.46 degrees above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees.
“Global temperatures during July and year-to-date broke previous records,” Jonathan Overpeck, climate scientist at University of Arizona, tweeted. Overpeck also noted that the combination of El Niño and man-made global warming are to blame for the extreme heat.
Global temps during July & year-to-date both broke previous records. Strong El Niño + AGW = HOT. Soon 2014 won't be warmest ever soon…
— Jonathan Overpeck (@TucsonPeck) August 20, 2015
NOAA predicts that a strong El Niño is building, and it could rival the 1997 El Niño that wreaked weather havoc worldwide, including fires in Australia and mudslides in California.
“There is a greater than 90% chance that El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16,” NOAA said in a statement.
There is a greater than 90% chance that El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, and around an 85% chance it will last into early spring 2016.
