July 2021 has become the Earth’s warmest month on record.

That’s according to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which estimates the combined temperature of land and ocean-surface last month was 0.93°C above the 20th-century average, the hottest since records began 142 years ago.

July has already been marked by extreme weather conditions, from drought and fires in Southern Europe and North America to severe flooding in Western Europe.

The report also noted that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean covered the fourth-smallest area for July in the 43-year record, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said: “In this case, first place is the worst place to be.

“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”