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June 2016 Sets New Record for Hottest Month Ever
According to meteorologists, June 2016 was the hottest in human history.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Tuesday said last month was the fourteenth consecutive month that global heat records have been broken, with the first six months of the year potentially setting it up to be the hottest year on record.
NOAA said in a statement, “The globally-averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2016 was the highest for the month of June in the NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880. This marks the 14th consecutive month the monthly global temperature record has been broken, the longest such streak in the 137-year record.”
More: First half of 2016 was record warm for the globe — @NOAANCEIclimate https://t.co/8dpMpSrk1a #StateOfClimate pic.twitter.com/cpMJat2D8F
— NOAA (@NOAA) July 19, 2016
While the El Niño weather pattern could be partially to blame for 2016’s record-breaking heat, the rising temperatures continue a trend that has been accelerating in recent years. 2014 and 2015 each previously broke the mark for hottest year in recorded human history.
According to NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt, while the weather pattern does play a part, about 60% of the rising temperatures come from other factors including “very strong Arctic warming.”
SEE: #June 2016 Global Significant #Climate Events Map from @NOAANCEIclimate https://t.co/8dpMpSrk1a #StateOfClimate pic.twitter.com/b6Ei1OR5ZO
— NOAA (@NOAA) July 19, 2016
Since El Niño ends this year, some have theorized that the upcoming Pacific cooling period known as La Niña could end the streak of record-breaking heat. However Schmidt advises that La Niña cooling 2017 wouldn’t truly be a sign things are getting better.
“One year being warmer and one year being cooler is not really relevant, because the big impact from increased temperatures are from sustained increase of temperatures. The trend will continue,” said Schmidt.