NOAA: Record-breaking heat trends continued in August

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The average global temperature in August was 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was a year ago, making last month the warmest August in recorded history.

The latest news is more proof of what has seemed inevitable for some time now, that 2016 will be the warmest year on record. So far, the average global temperature is 1.52 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average from 2015.

According to the latest update from NOAA, the summertime stretch from June to August was 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average, making it the warmest summer on the books.

The news arrives in the wake of the final stat line for this year's Arctic sea ice minimum. This season's minimum tied 2007 for the second-lowest on record.

Not every record is falling. Ocean temperatures in August weren't quite as warm as they were last year, and it was only the sixth hottest August in North America's recorded history.

August in Asia and Africa was the hottest it has been in modern history. And land temperatures around the globe averaged higher than they have since NOAA started keeping track.

This year's new hottest August on record means the globe has experienced 16 straight months of record-breaking temperatures -- the longest streak in 137 years.