According to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, NOAA, July of 2016 was the hottest month in recorded history. These records span across more than 130 years as they go back to 1880. It’s the 15th consecutive monthly heat record that has been set. While some areas near the polar regions have experienced record lows, it’s the majority of the land mass of the planet that has been establishing warmest periods on record.
The average global temperature during July was 62.01 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a ninth of a degree hotter than the previous record, which was set back in July of 2015. This average includes polar areas of the planet such as Antarctica and the northern regions of Greenland and Canada.
The temperatures setting the records in 2016 are also 1.57 degrees above average of the 20th century.
The data collected also demonstrates how the period from January through July of 2016 has set the record for the hottest year-to-date. Of the areas around Earth, Alaska, Australia and areas of the mid Pacific Ocean have experienced some of the greatest increases in temperature.
While NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Japan’s own weather office proclaimed that July 2016 as the hottest month on record, a team at the University of Alabama claims it as the second warmest within the mid-troposhere. This area of atmosphere lies two to six miles above the surface of the planet. The UA team uses satellite technology instead of ground surface temperatures to analyze heat patterns.
The meteorological office in Britain has yet to calculate its own numbers for July.
