Annual temperature variations 1979-2016. Data from ECMWF-CS3. Graphic: The Weather Channel

15 August 2016 (weather.com) – Global mean temperatures in July 2016 were the warmest on record not just for July, but for any month dating to the late 1800s, according to separate just-released analyses. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies found July 2016 was the globe’s warmest July in their dataset dating to 1880.

— July is typically the warmest month of the year globally because the Northern Hemisphere has more land masses than the Southern Hemisphere. Land can heat up faster and further than the ocean can, so the Southern Hemisphere cannot get as warm as easily in their summer. The temperature anomaly of 0.84 degrees Celsius above average topped the previous warmest July in 2011 by 0.1 degree, according to NASA’s analysis released Monday.

July 2016 global temperature anomalies (degrees Celsius) relative to a 1981-2010 average since 1891. The blue line is a five-year running mean, while the red line is the long-term trend. Graphic: Japan Meteorological Agency

This marked the tenth straight month setting a warm record for that month in NASA’s analysis. The Japanese Meteorological Agency found July 2016 topped 2015 as the globe’s warmest July dating to 1891. [more]

July 2016 Was Earth’s Warmest Month on Record