FRANCE: Global temperature records continue to tumble, with August easily the hottest in 124 years of data, Japan’s Meteorological Agency says.
Last month, near-surface land and sea temperatures were 0.45 degrees higher than the 1981-2010 average, eclipsing the previous biggest anomaly for August of 0.33 degrees set last year.
The record warmth, if confirmed by other agencies such as NASA, would make August the sixth month so far in 2015 that has set a new heat record.
The massive El Nino weather event that continues to build in the Pacific is helping to drive temperatures higher against a background warming caused by climate change, climatologists say.
During El Nino years, less heat is taken up by the Pacific Ocean, typically adding 0.1 to 0.2 degrees to global surface temperatures.
