Last month was warmest May on record

Last month was the hottest May on record. The world's average combined land and ocean temperature in May was nearly 60 degrees, 1.33 degrees above the 20th Century average of 58.6 degrees, making last month the hottest during the 130 years when records have been kept, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Four of the five warmest Mays have occurred in the past five years.

"On land last month, the world saw its fourth-hottest May on record with a global surface temperature 2.03 degrees above the 20th century average," Terrell Johnson and Jon Erdman report for The Weather Channel. "The oceans saw their hottest May on record, with a temperature 1.06 degrees above the 20th century average."

"The March to May 2014 period was the second-warmest on record (behind only 2010) across global land and ocean surfaces—at 1.33 degrees above the 20th century average," Johnson and Erdman write. "And the first five months of this year have been Earth's fifth warmest on record, with a temperature 1.19 degrees above the 20th century average." Every month this year, with the exception of February, has ranked among the four hottest on record for that particular month. (Read more) (NOAA graphic. May temperatures have been above average every year since 1977)