The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calculates that last month's average global temperature was 62.01 degrees (16.67 degrees Celsius). That beats the old record set in July 2015 by a ninth of a degree and is 1.57 degrees above the 20th-century average. July is Earth's hottest month.
It's the 15th consecutive global heat record. Records go back to 1880.
January through July is also beating out 2015 for hottest year-to-date by .34 degrees (.19 Celsius). NASA and Japan's weather office earlier proclaimed July 2016 the hottest on record. The British meteorological office hasn't calculated the number yet. A University of Alabama Huntsville team that uses satellites, not ground measurements, says it was the second warmest.
Copyright Associated Press
