July was the hottest month ever recorded, NOAA says

It's been a summer of sweltering heat waves and raging wildfires, and now it's confirmed: July 2021 was the hottest month on Earth since record-keeping began. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the findings on Friday, calling it an "unenviable distinction" and part of a worsening trend related to climate change.

"In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "July is typically the world's warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe."  The findings come just days after the U.N. released a major international climate report documenting the "extreme" and "unprecedented" impacts of warming that are already being felt worldwide.