June, first half of year break Earth’s heat records: US agency

WASHINGTON – Earth dialed the heat up last month, smashing warm temperature records for both the month and the first half of the year.

A scientific agency with the U.S. government calculated that world’s average temperature in June hit 16.33 Celsius, breaking the old record set last year by .12 degrees Celsius.

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist Jessica Blunden said usually temperature records are broken by one or two one-hundredths of a degree, not nearly a quarter of a degree. Records go back 136 years.

The first six months of 2015 were one-sixth of a degree warmer than the old record, set in 2010, averaging 14.35 Celsius.

Blunden said that 2015 is likely to be the warmest year on record.