August Ties July as Hottest Month Ever on Record

In what has become a common refrain this year, last month ranked as the hottest August on record, according to NASA data released Monday.  Not only that, but the month tied July as the hottest month the world has seen in the last 136 years.

August came in at 1.76˚F (0.98˚C) above the average from 1951-1980, 0.16C above August 2014, the previous record holder.  The record keeps 2016 on track to be the hottest year in the books by a fair margin.

That August continued the streak of record hot months this year and tied July as the hottest month was somewhat unexpected.  The seasonal temperature cycle generally reaches a peak in July, as it did this year.  But August was so anomalously warm — more so even than July — that it tied that month’s overall temperature.

It was also thought that July would likely be the last record hot month of the year, given the dissipation of El Niño.

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