The month of July set an all-time highest average monthly temperature record of 16.61°C, breaking the previous record set in July 1998 by 0.08°C, NOAA said.
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This year could once again break a new temperature record, after scientists revealed the first seven months of 2015 have already topped the charts for the hottest January to July since 1880. Less heat is absorbed, lifting global temperatures by 0.1-0.2 degrees, which when added to the warming resulting from rising greenhouse gases makes it more likely worldwide records will be beaten. This was the sixth highest for July in the 1880-2015 record. The globally averaged sea surface temperature for July 2015 was 62.85 F degrees which is 1.35 F degrees above average. Not just the warmest July, mind you, but the warmest month ever recorded, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Antarctic sea ice during July was 240,000 square miles (3.8 percent) above the 1981-2010 average. Conversely, in Antarctica, where it is winter, sea ice grew to its fourth- largest mass ever.
“It is global warming, and the El Nino that is enhancing global temperatures”, said Jessica Blunden, a climatologist with ERT Inc. working at the agency in Asheville, North Carolina. The only year to beat that year to date average is 1981.
Australia had a mild month, while Africa as a whole had its second warmest July and parts of the Middle East ended the month with temperatures reaching 50 degrees.
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A new study published online today in the journal Science finds that the rate of global warming during the last 15 years has been as fast as or faster than that seen during the latter half of the 20th Century. This was also the highest for January-July in the 1880-2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2010 by 0.11°F (0.06°C). Historical months and years may differ from what was reported in previous reports. Every major ocean basin observed record warmth in some areas. Please note that anomalies and ranks reflect the historical record according to these updated versions.
