NASA: Last month was Earth's hottest in recorded history

August 15, 2016 at 4:43 p.m. | Updated August 15, 2016 at 4:45 p.m.

by Associated Press

FILE - In this July 21, 2016 file photo, Hank, a quarter horse from Paris, Ill., stays close to a fan keeping cool inside a barn at the Illinois State Fair grounds in Springfield, Ill. Ouch. NASA calculates that just Earth broiled to its hottest month in recorded history: last July. Even after the fading of a strong El Nino, which spikes global temperatures on top of man-made climate change, July burst global temperature records no sweat. Well, lots of sweat, actually for anyone who went outside. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
FILE - In this July 21, 2016 file photo, Hank, a quarter horse from Paris, Ill., stays close to a fan keeping cool inside a barn at the Illinois State Fair grounds in Springfield, Ill. Ouch. NASA calculates that just Earth broiled to its hottest month in recorded history: last July. Even after the fading of a strong El Nino, which spikes global temperatures on top of man-made climate change, July burst global temperature records no sweat. Well, lots of sweat, actually for anyone who went outside. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) - NASA calculates that Earth just broiled to its hottest month in recorded history.

Even after the fading of a strong El Nino, which spikes global temperatures on top of man-made climate change, July burst global temperature records.

NASA calculates that July 2016 was 1.51 degrees Fahrenheit (0.84 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 1950-1980 global average. NASA chief climate scientist Gavin Schmidt said that's about .18 degrees hotter than the previous top temperatures, in July 2011 and July 2015.

Scientists blame mostly man-made climate change from the burning of fossil fuel, with an extra jump from the now-gone El Nino, which is a natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide.

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