July 2016 is the warmest month so far, says NASA

The Earth has just marked another historic record after global temperature levels soared to its highest last month, according to the recent report from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Citing the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP) report, NASA chief climate scientist Gavin Schmidt said that, “July 2016 was absolutely the hottest month since the instrumental records began.”

In the report, NASA claimed that July 2016 was 1.51 degrees Fahrenheit (0.84 degrees Celcius) warmer than the global temperature average between 1950 and 1980. It was in 1981 that the NASA had first set up a team to record estimates of global temperature levels.

Schmidt, however, clarified that there is still a high chance of a new record towards the end of the year.

“July data are out, and what do you know, still 99 percent chance of a new annual record in 2016,” he said.

Schmidt said rising global temperature is proof of the global warming phenomenon that some sectors are still denying.

“Warming of the planet is evident on land, in the oceans, cryosphere, eco-zones - almost everywhere and is checkable by anyone,” he pointed out.

In Australia, Sydney saw its hottest day in the middle of winter last July 22 when the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology reported temperature levels have exceeded 26 degrees Celsius. Historically, the average July minimum temperate across Sydney is at 8.1 degrees Celcius.