Latest data from US agency NOAA reinforces high temperature trend, boosted by a moderate El Nino
Many parts of the world have had a record warmest 6 months (NOAA)
By Megan Darby
Temperature records keep tumbling, with June and the first half of 2016 the hottest globally in 136 years of measurement.
That’s according to US agency NOAA, which published the latest data on Monday.
June was the fourth month of 2015 to bring unprecedented warmth, NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden told Associated Press.
“There is almost no way that 2015 isn’t going to be the warmest on record.”
A moderate El Nino weather system is gathering pace, which Blunden said could send numbers “off the charts”.
Average temperatures have increased steadily over recent decades (NOAA)
The twelve months from July 2014 to June 2015 were 0.83C warmer than the 20th century global average and the warmest such period on record.
It is part of a trend of rising temperatures over recent decades, NOAA data showed.
Large regions of land were “much warmer than average” in June, NOAA found, including the western US, central Asia and parts of southeastern Asia.
Pockets of cooler weather were found in western Greenland, Pakistan, India and China.