It's official! NOAA confirms July was world's hottest ever month - and warns it was the FIFTEENTH record breaking month in a row
- July was 1.51°F (0.84°C) warmer than global average between 1951-1980
- This July was 0.18 degrees warmer than the previous record in July 2011
- The US, Siberia and the Middle East all experienced extreme heatwaves
July marked the Earth's hottest month in modern times, setting a new high mark for global heat in 137 years of record-keeping, US government scientists have confirmed.
In its monthly report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the global average of temperatures taken over land and ocean surfaces for July 2016 'was the highest for both the month of July and for any month in the NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880.'
Last month's temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.57 Fahrenheit above the 20th century average of 60.4 degrees F (15.8 Celsius).
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Forecasters said the global average temperature 'was the highest for both the month of July and for any month in the since 1880.'
It also marks the 15th consecutive month of breaking monthly temperature records, 'the longest such streak in the 137-year record,' NOAA said.
The new record beats out July 2015, the previous holder for the planet's warmest month.
July 2016 marks the 40th consecutive July with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th century average.
July 1976 was the last time July global land and ocean temperatures were below average.
July 2016 had the lowest monthly global temperature departure from average since August 2015 and tied with August 2015 as the 15th highest monthly temperature departure among all months (1,639) on record.
The NOAA data was released two days after NASA's monthly figures, which also showed July was a record-breaker for global heat.
Its scientists have calculated the the month was 1.51°F (0.84°C) warmer than the global average between 1950 and 1980.
They say it was 0.18 degrees warmer than the previous records seen in July 2011 and July 2015.
It comes after Nasa declared the first half of 2016 to have been the warmest six months on record.
Dr Gavin Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and a climate scientist at Nasa, said: 'July 2016 was absolutely the hottest month since instrumental records began.'
He added that there was a 99 per cent chance that 2016 would now break annual global temperature records.
It comes after many parts of the world have experienced 'oppressive' levels of heat, according to Nasa's Earth Observatory.
In June and July people living in Siberia, the Middle East and large areas of North America faced extreme heatwaves.
The US's three largest metropolitan areas – New York, Los Angeles and Chicago – all experienced heatwave alerts last month.
California is also in the grips of its worst drought in decades.
Nasa says temperatures in July 2016 were far above the average temperatures expected during the summer. The graph above shows the abnormal temperatures recorded
Nasa said several 'oppressive' heatwaves were experienced in many parts of the world in 2016 including the US where three of the largest cities - New York, Los Angeles and Chicago issued alerts to their citizens (land surface temperature anomaly July 20-27 illustrated)
Siberia also experienced abnormally warm temperatures in July (anomaly between July 20-27 illustrated)
Parts of Siberia, where the weather is normally relatively cool, saw temperatures more typically found in the tropics.
Hot weather melted the permafrost in the Yamal Peninsula to reveal an infected carcass of a reindeer, triggering a major outbreak of anthrax.
Kuwait recorded a temperature of 129.2°F (54°C) on July 21 in what may be the hottest temperature on record in the Eastern Hemisphere if it is confirmed.
Dr Schmidt, said: 'The planet is getting warmer. It's important for what it tells us about the future.'
The warm weather has alarmed climate scientists who say it shows the world is following predictions of global warming due to manmade climate change.
Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said: 'Global temperatures continue to warm even as a record-breaking El Nino event has finally released its grip.'
A particularly strong El Nino, which can push up global temperatures, began towards the end of 2014 before dissipating in May 2016.
July 2016 is the tenth record breaking hot month in a row according to Nasa.
Figures from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, which calculates temperatures slightly differently, will be published on Wednesday.
Scientists at Nasa have warned that 2016 is on course to be the hottest year on record. The graph above illustrates their predicted temperature anomaly
The Middle East also sweltered in a heatwave that brought temperatures of up to 129.2°F (54°C) on July 21 in what may be a record for Asia
It has estimated that the past 14 months have broken temperature records.
'The scary thing is that we are moving into an era where it will be a surprise when each new month or year isn't one of the hottest on record,' said Chris Field, a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University.
High temperatures in the US forced some to take extreme steps to stay cool. A fan was installed inside a barn at the Illinois State Fair grounds in Springfield, Illinois to keep the horses inside cool during a heatwave on 21 July
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