Forecasters reveal 2015's summer was hottest since records began and say El Nino and global warming are to blame
- June-July-August in the Northern Hemisphere saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880
- Seven of nine months this year have broken monthly global heat records
- 2015 close to ousting 2014 for the most scorching year in modern times
This years summer was the hottest since records began - and might have been the hottest in more than 4,000 years, forecasters have revealed.
The meteorological summer of June-July-August in the Northern Hemisphere saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said.
Seven of the nine months this year have broken monthly global heat records, tying 1998 for the most monthly heat records broken.
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The meteorological summer of June-July-August in the Northern Hemisphere saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880, the NOAA said.
Only January and April did not surpass records going back to 1880.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calculated a global temperature for September of 60.62 degrees (15.9 degrees Celsius), beating the record set in 2014.
Climate scientists blame man-made global warming and El Nino.
The latest report, based on global average temperatures across land and sea surfaces, brings 2015 closer than ever to ousting 2014 for the most scorching year in modern times.
NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said it would take a highly unlikely cold stretch the rest of the year for 2015 not to pass 2014 as the hottest on record.
'The first nine months of the year were also record warm.'
So far this year, the temperature across global land and ocean surfaces has been 1.53 Fahrenheit (0.85 Celsius) above the 20th century average, marking 'the highest for January-September' in 135 years.
Seven of the first nine months of 2015 have broken monthly historical heat records.
Unusually high temperatures were seen in September across northeastern Africa, the Middle East, parts of Southeast Asia, and selected parts of North and South America.
The NOAA also recorded some of the month's most unusual weather
Some cool spots were noted at the tip of South America, far western Canada, Alaska, and parts of Central Asia.
In Canada, Ontario had a record warm September, with temperatures some nine degrees Fahrenheit above average.
The United States marked its second warmest September on record, with a temperature 3.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average.
Norway was also among the leading heat record-breakers, while Spain saw its coldest September since 1996.
Britain was also cooler than expected.
'England and Wales each observed their coolest September since 1994,' said the NOAA report.
Warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Nino in some parts of the world helped boost the September global sea surface temperature to 1.46 Fahrenheit above the 20th century average of 61.1 Fahrenheit.
'A large patch in the Atlantic Ocean south of Greenland remained much cooler than average,' the NOAA noted.
The amount of sea ice in the Arctic last month was the fourth smallest on record.
Sea ice cover in the Antarctic was also below average for the 1981-2010 time period, marking the 16th smallest Antarctic sea ice extent on record and the smallest since 2008.
Earlier this week California residents were being warned to prepare for El Niño - as Nasa revealed the phenomenon will be the most watched in history.
There are predictions it could bring as much as 35 inches of rain during the upcoming winter season in some part of California.
However, El Nino this winter will leave a big wet but not necessarily snowy footprint on much of the United States - but won't solve California's drought crisis it has been claimed.
'We could see upwards of 200 percent of average rainfall event,' said Bill Croyle of the California Department of Water Resources, according to ABC7.
'We do expect an extremely wet season in Southern California.'
Last week, in what has been considered the fourth year of drought, flooding and mud flows trapped hundreds of motorists in northern Los Angeles County and forced the temporary closure of the 5 Freeway through the Tehachapi Mountains.
Boat docks sit empty on dry land, as Folsom Lake reservoir near Sacramento stands at only 18 percent capacity, during a severe drought in California on September 17, 2015 ©Mark Ralston (AFP/File)
In August, flash flooding west of Desert Center washed out a 10 Freeway bridge.
'Make sure you heed any warnings of local officials,' said Chief Scott Edson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
'If we're in your area asking you to evacuate because we're concerned for the area, please do your best to respond to our request so that you don't become part of the problem.'
Nasa said it plans to study the phenomenon in unprecedented detail.
This year's El Niño is already strong and appears likely to equal the event of 1997-98, the strongest El Niño on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
'El Niño is a fascinating phenomenon because it has such far-reaching and diverse impacts,' said Lesley Ott, research meteorologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
'The fact that fires in Indonesia are linked with circulation patterns that influence rainfall over the United States shows how complex and interconnected the Earth system is.'
Using NASA satellite observations in tandem with supercomputer processing power for modeling systems, scientists have a comprehensive suite of tools to analyze El Niño events and their global impacts as never before.
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