Earth registers hottest July on record — US agency

The monthly report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also said that 2024 now has a 77 percent chance of being the warmest year on record.

The July calculation by NOAA contradicted the EU's Copernicus climate monitor, which -- using a different dataset -- calculated last month's average temperature as being slightly lower than July 2023.

However both agencies agree on the alarming trend of record-breaking heat, with the past year seeing month after month of new highs.

According to NOAA, whose historical data goes back 175 years, 2024 will definitely be one of the five hottest years on record.

In July, the global temperature was 2.18 degrees Fahrenheit (1.21 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average of 60.4F (15.8C), the US agency said.

The month saw a series of heat waves across Mediterranean and Gulf countries, NOAA said.

Africa, Europe and Asia recorded their hottest July on record, while North America was the second hottest.

Ocean temperatures were their second warmest ever in July, according to NOAA -- the same reading as Copernicus.

Scientists at Copernicus noted last week that "air temperatures over the ocean remained unusually high over many regions" despite a swing from the El Nino weather pattern that helped fuel a spike in global temperatures to its opposite La Nina, which has a cooling effect.

Last year was also the warmest year on record.

"The devastating effects of climate change started well before 2023 and will continue until global greenhouse gas emissions reach net zero," she said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.