Global Warming Facts: June 2014 Was Hottest June in Recorded History, Month's Global Temperature Above Average Since 1976

According to the National Climatic Data Center's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 2014 was the hottest June ever recorded.

"The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June 2014 was the highest on record for the month, at 0.72°C (1.30°F) above the 20th century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F)," NOAA announced in its June 2014 Global Analysis report.

Weather has been recorded for over 130 years, according to The Weather Channel, making the news notable. The previous record for the hottest June belonged to June of 1998, which was 0.05°F (0.03°C) cooler.

"The June global land temperature was the seventh highest for June on record at 0.95°C (1.71°F) above the 20th century average of 13.3°C (55.9°F)," the report said. "The seven warmest June global land surface temperatures have all occurred within the past decade."

According to Derek Arndt, NOAA climate monitoring chief, the global temperature increase may seem small, but it is like "winning a horse race by several lengths," as reported by CBS News.

June was the 38th consecutive June month and the 352nd consecutive month to exceed 20th century average global temperatures. According to NOAA, the global temperature has not been below average since June 1976. The last month to see a below average global temperature was February of 1985.

"We are living in the steroid era of the climate system," Arndt said.

Meanwhile, Earth's average global sea surface temperature in June was at 62.7°F (17.1°C), which is 1.15°F (0.64°C) higher than the 20th century average of 61.5°F (16.4°C). This is not only a record-breaking high for the month of June, but the biggest change from average for any of the 12 months since recording started.

"This is what global warming looks like," Jonathan Overpeck, University of Arizona climate scientist, told CBS News. "Not record hot everywhere all the time, but certainly a reflection that the odds of record hot are going up everywhere around the planet."

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