Record or not, July ranks as one of the hottest month ever

The earth sizzled with unprecedented heat last month, making July the second-hottest month ever recorded worldwide, and only missing top place by just less than a tenth of a degree, scientists said on Thursday.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the earth sweated to its second hottest month since record-keeping began in 1880.

Only July 2016, boosted by the natural El Niño cycle, was slightly warmer as July was also the 391st consecutive warmer-than-average month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

At 16.63C (61.89F ), last month was behind July 2016's all-time record by .09 degrees. But earth's land temperatures in July were the hottest on record at 15.5C (59.96F ), passing July 2016's by one-seventh of a degree.

Long-term, man-made global warming is the primary cause of the hot streak, said Jake Crouch, a NOAA climate scientist.

El Nino — a natural climate cycle marked by unusually warm tropical Pacific ocean water — affects weather and climate around the world. Having such a warm month without an El Niño is strange, Crouch said.

While the month didn't hit the overall record, Earth's land areas were the warmest they've ever been, an important measurement considering all of us live on land, Crouch said.

However, NASA, which uses newer ocean measurements with a slightly different methods estimates for the Arctic unlike NOAA, calculated that July 2017 was the all-time hottest month.

Record heat was reported in Africa, Australia, parts of Asia, the Middle East and the Indian ocean, Crouch said.