July was the hottest month on Earth since records began in 1880.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that July was 1.71 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century global average of 60.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The results edged the previous hottest month, July 2016, by just 0.05 degrees.
The last five Julys have been the hottest five in the last 140 years.
Areas that experienced the greatest upward temperature swings included Alaska, which has experienced record-breaking heat, as well as southwestern Asia and parts of Africa.
Europe also experienced an incredible heat wave this summer, with all-time temperature records being broken in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries. In late July, places across Europe suffered triple-digit temperatures.
On the last day of the month, a heat wave hit Greenland, melting 11 billion tons of ice in just one day. A heat wave also hit the United States in mid-July, causing at least six deaths.
