World's Hot Times Got Even Hotter In September

Most of the Earth's surface was definitely running
 a fever in September, 2015.  

The latest monthly global temperature assessment is out from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, and it shows September was pretty much off the charts temperature wise.

It was the world's hottest September since record keeping got serious in the 1880s.  Temperatures were also above normal by the widest margin of any month since records began 136 years ago.

Yeah, 1.62 degrees above normal doesn't sound like much, but it's HUGE when you're talking about global average temperatures for a month.

Most months in 2015 have broken records for the hottest on record, so it's pretty much a sure bet that this year will easily be the hottest year on record. Probably by a large margin.

We're in the throes of a strong El Nino, and El Ninos always boost global temperatures, so it's no surprise that temperatures were above normal globally.

However, there have been other El Ninos about as strong as this one, and 2015 is still running way above normal. I think we're definitely seeing the hand of global warming here.

I've noticed we're no longer hearing about the "pause" in global warming that many climate change deniers were talking about when global temperatures seemed to be increasing a little more slowly back a few years ago.

I'm sure we'll hear that "global warming is over" when El Nino fades and we get some months and probably a few years that are not hottest on record like this one.

Don't buy it. This warming trend is entrenched and the world will keep getting hotter, even if it does come at an uneven pace.

That means keep looking out for more weather extremes to come, too. Drought, floods, heat waves, oh joy!