(CNN) We just experienced the hottest month, as a planet, in any of our lifetimes -- and we saw the weather extremes that resulted from it.
The global temperature in July 2021 was the highest for any July in the 142 years of records, according to data released today from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
July is normally the hottest month of the year for the globe, which means last month was the hottest of any of the previous 1,700 months since 1880 when NOAA began keeping records.
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"In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said. "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."
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The monthly average temperature just eclipsed the previous record set in July of 2016, which was then tied in 2019 and 2020, according to NOAA data. {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","url": "//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210813115514-climate-hottest-july-anomalies-chart-20210813-large-169.jpg"} Numerous heat waves were noted during the month, in regions that included the Western US, Eastern Europe, and Asia. In addition to the heat, other examples of extreme weather included devastating flash floods in Germany and Belgium , as well as China , and dangerous wildfires across North America and Europe . The revelation of the hottest month comes the same week that the world's top climate science body, the UN's IPCC, published a dire report showing that humans are warming the planet faster than previously thought, and the window to prevent catastrophic impacts is closing. 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WATCHED Europe floods: Scale of destruction revealed as water subsides Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "VideoObject","name": "Europe floods: Scale of destruction revealed as water subsides ","description": "CNN's Sam Kiley takes a walk in Schuld, Germany, where the scale of destruction from the <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/18/europe/western-europe-floods-sunday-intl/index.html" target="_blank">deadly flash flooding</a> is revealed after the floodwater has subsided. ","thumbnailURL": "https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210720110247-germany-schuld-floods-destruction-kiley-wt-intl-hnk-vpx-00000521-large-169.png","image": "https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210720110247-germany-schuld-floods-destruction-kiley-wt-intl-hnk-vpx-00000521-large-169.png","duration": "PT1M55S","uploadDate": "2021-07-20T03:57:14Z","contentUrl": "https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/07/20/germany-schuld-floods-destruction-kiley-wt-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn","url": "https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/07/20/germany-schuld-floods-destruction-kiley-wt-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn","embedUrl": "https://fave.api.cnn.io/v1/fav/?video=world/2021/07/20/germany-schuld-floods-destruction-kiley-wt-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn&customer=cnn&edition=international&env=prod"} Europe floods: Scale of destruction revealed as water subsides 01:54 "Each of last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade that preceded it since 1850," the report said. Direct links between the warming planet and the worsening impact of extreme weather were highlighted in the report as well. They include more extreme downpours, such as the ones last month in Europe that lead to deadly flash floods , as well as hotter and longer heatwaves like we have seen many times this summer. Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Firefighters battle a wildfire near Avila, Spain, on August 16. Hide Caption 1 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A helicopter drops water as a wildfire burns in the village of Navalmoral, Spain, on August 16. Hide Caption 2 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A man works to douse a fire in Montalto, Italy, on August 12. Hide Caption 3 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Forest fires rage on the Greek island of Euboea on August 11. Hide Caption 4 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves This aerial photo shows a wildfire-affected area in Mugla, Turkey, on August 11. Hide Caption 5 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Remains of an 18th-century Orthodox church are seen on August 10, after a fire on the Greek island of Evia. Hide Caption 6 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Local youths and volunteers gather in a field and wait to support firefighters during a wildfire on August 9, close to the village of Kamatriades on the Greek island of Evia. Hide Caption 7 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves People sleep in a car near the beach in Pefki village as wildfires rage on the island of Evia on August 8. Hide Caption 8 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A resident reacts as a wildfire approaches her house in the Greek village of Gouves, on the island of Evia, on August 8. Hide Caption 9 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A house in Pefkofito, Greece, is destroyed on August 7. Hide Caption 10 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A firefighter washes his face in the Milas area of Mugla, Turkey, on August 7. Hide Caption 11 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves People are evacuated on a ferry as a wildfire burns in Limni, Greece, on August 6. Hide Caption 12 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A satellite photo shows smoke rising from fires on the island of Evia, Greece, on August 5. Hide Caption 13 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire near the town of Olympia, Greece, on August 5. Hide Caption 14 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Residents react during a wildfire near Olympia on August 5. Hide Caption 15 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves The grounds of a burnt hotel are seen in Lalas village, near Olympia, on August 5. Hide Caption 16 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves People move belongings to safety as a forest fire rages in a wooded area north of Athens, Greece, on August 5. Hide Caption 17 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A wildfire approaches the Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece, on August 4. Hide Caption 18 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves The remnants of a destroyed house are seen in the Varibobi area of northern Athens on August 4. Hide Caption 19 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Onlookers view the smoke from the wildfires blanketing Athens' Acropolis on August 4. Hide Caption 20 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A charred area of Mugla, Turkey, after a forest fire on August 3. Hide Caption 21 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Smoke and flames rise over the village of Limni on the Greek island of Evia. Hide Caption 22 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Firefighters work as a house burns in the Adames area of northern Athens on August 3. Hide Caption 23 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A woman pours water over a baby's head at a fountain in Skopje, North Macedonia, as temperatures reached over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 2. Hide Caption 24 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A man leads sheep away from an advancing fire in Mugla, Turkey, on August 2. Hide Caption 25 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves People watch an advancing fire that rages around the Cokertme village near Bodrum, Turkey, on August 2. Hide Caption 26 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Local residents watch as a Greek army helicopter collects water to tackle a wildfire near the village of Lambiri, Greece, on August 1. Hide Caption 27 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A handout photo from the Italian National Fire Brigade shows an aerial view of a fire in the Pineta Dannunziana reserve in Pescara, Italy, on August 1. Hide Caption 28 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A man surveys a fire at Le Capannine beach in the Sicilian town of Catania, Italy, on July 30. Hide Caption 29 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves Firefighters battle a massive wildfire that engulfed a Mediterranean resort region on Turkey's southern coast near the town of Manavgat on July 29. Hide Caption 30 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A firefighter talks to his colleague as they work to put out fires in Cuglieri, on the Italian island of Sardinia, on July 26. Hide Caption 31 of 32 Photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heat waves A firefighting helicopter passes in front of a cloud of smoke from a forest fire near Spathovouni village, southwest of Athens, Greece, on July 23. Hide Caption 32 of 32 /* global CNN */'use strict';jQuery(document).ready(function () {var galleryAdSlide = new CNN.AdSlide('el__gallery', false, CNN.contentModel.singletonFile);});