WASHINGTON — The month of July was the world’s hottest since measurements began, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.
The combined land and ocean-surface temperature worldwide was about 1.67 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest July since records began 142 years ago, according to data measured by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.
“This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”
The agency said Asia had its hottest July on record, while Europe had its second-hottest July on record, with temperatures matching those of July 2010.
The European Copernicus climate change service recorded similar findings based on its own calculations.
Copernicus recorded last month as the third warmest July worldwide, only slightly cooler than the temperatures reached in 2016 and 2019.
