Environment
The Earth Has Endured 14 Straight Months of Record-Breaking Heat
Such an extreme warming spell has never occurred in nearly 140 years of observations.
The lower part of South America, the Beijing region, and a little patch of far-east Russia: These were the landmasses that experienced abnormally cool temperatures in June.
The vast majority of the Earth’s surface, however, was either warmer than usual or scalding with record-breaking heat, according to NOAA’s latest global analysis. At 1.6 degrees above the 20th-century average of roughly 60 degrees, it was the warmest June in modern history and the 14 consecutive month of unprecedented hotness. That’s the longest streak of record-busting temperatures in observations dating back to 1880.