Monday was Earth's hottest day on record, initial measurements show

Monday was the world's hottest day on record, exceeding an average of 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time, according to initial measurements taken on Tuesday by U.S. meteorologists.

The average daily air temperature on the planet's surface on July 3 was logged at 62.618 degrees by an organization that's part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That measurement surpasses the previous daily record of 62.456 degrees set on July 24 last year, according to data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction going back to 1979.

The world's average air temperature, which fluctuates between around 53.6 degrees and just under 62.6 degrees on any given day over a year, averaged 61.16 degrees at the beginning of July between 1979 and 2000.

The record has yet to be corroborated by other measurements but could itself soon be broken as the Northern Hemisphere's summer unfolds.

The average global temperature typically continues to rise until the end of July or beginning of August.

Even last month, average global temperatures were the warmest the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring unit had ever recorded for the start of June.

Temperatures are likely to rise even further above historical averages over the next year with the onset of an El Nino weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which the World Meteorological Organization confirmed on Monday is now underway.

In addition, human activity -- mainly the burning of fossil fuels -- is continuing to emit roughly 40 billion tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. 

In:
• Climate Change