July 2019 Was Hottest Month On Record, NOAA Says

A new report shows July was the hottest month ever on Earth since record-keeping began 140 years ago.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the average global temperature last month was 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average.

Researchers say it follows the hottest June ever recorded; this marks one of the hottest summers in recent history.

NOAA says the last five Julys have been the five hottest of all time, and last month marked the 415th consecutive month with above-average temperatures.

A deadly heat wave swept across more than half of the U.S. in mid-July causing at least six deaths across the country. 

Climate scientists say human activity is heating the planet at a dangerous rate and high temperatures pose a more lethal threat to humans than any other type of weather event.

The Red Cross recently warned the threat posed by extreme heat "will only become more serious and more widespread as the climate crisis continues."