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NOAA

The heat goes on: June was hottest on record

Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
Areas in pink and red were warmer-than-average in June, while areas in blue were cooler-than-average.

June was the hottest June on record for the planet, federal scientists announced Monday. This marked the third month of the year that's been record warm globally.

"The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2015 was the highest for the month of June since record-keeping began in 1880," NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information said in a statement.

This backs up other global data sets from NASA and the Japan Meteorology Agency, which also reported on June's record warmth.

Record warmth was seen in June in the western U.S., parts of northern South America, several regions in central to western Africa, central Asia, and parts of southeastern Asia, the centers reported.

June 2015 broke the previous record for warmest June, set just last year, according to NOAA's data.

Earlier this year, both March and May set marks for record warmth.

The U.S., overall, had its second-warmest June on record, the centers announced last week. Only June 1933 was hotter. Five western states — California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah — were all record warm.

The hot June continues the pattern of unusual warmth seen throughout the year: So far, the first six months of the year have been the warmest on record, due in part to El Nino, a climate pattern marked by warmer-than-average water in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The heat from the warm water helps boost temperatures in the atmosphere around the world.

While El Nino is a part of the warmth, the long-term trend of man-made climate change is also a contributor: NOAA reports that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000, many during years without the boost of an El Nino.

January-June was 1.53 degrees F warmer than average worldwide, NOAA said.

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