May Breaks Heat Record for 13th Consecutive Month
President Obama warned of the threat of climate change while in Yosemite.
— -- Last month was the hottest May on record and marked the 13th consecutive month to break global temperature records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
News of the continued record-breaking temperatures came the same week that President Obama used Yosemite National Park as a backdrop to warn of the dangers of climate change.
"Make no mistake, climate change is no longer a threat, it’s a reality,” Obama said, stressing the need for action. "On this issue, unlike a lot of issues, there's such a thing as being too late."
May 2016 was 1.57 degrees Farenheit (0.86 degrees Celsius) above average for the month, according to NOAA's data. Many scientists believe it is important to restrict warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Farenheit), a point that could trigger catastrophic changes to the Earth's environment.
Last year was also the hottest year on record, according to data released by NASA in January, and Climate Central, an organization of scientists devoted to the study of climate change, has indicated that there is a 99 percent probability that 2016 will break 2015's record.