If you thought this September was unusually warm, you're not alone. NASA announced that this September was the warmest on record since 1880, which is when scientists began recording global temperatures. This September was 1.4°F above the 1951-1980 average, breaking the previous record set in 2005.
According to its updated data, NASA also discovered that the last six months were the warmest middle half of the year according to global records.
The warm weather began in April when atmospheric carbon dioxide reached 400 parts per million. The National Climatic Data Center ranked April, May and June as the warmest months respectively according to temperature records. Separate from NASA's records, the NCDC also recorded July as the fourth warmest. Following the trend, August was also found to be the warmest on record.
"If we continue a consistent departure from average for the rest of 2014, we will edge out 2010 as the warmest year on record," NCDC climatologist NCDC climatologist said.
NASA ranked this year's summer the fourth warmest globally.
The record-breaking warm weather is linked to global warming, especially as far as ocean temperatures are concerned. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the increasing temperatures will cause an El Niño to hit by the end of the year and last until spring 2015.
Research suggests that the warm temperature trends might be Earth's warmest in about 4,000 years. Most of the heat caused by global warming has been stored in Earth's oceans, but the atmosphere is warming up as well.
