Nature World News: Though described as preliminary, the most recent data from NOAA rank this year's May as the third hottest on record since measurements were first kept 134 years ago, averaging 1.19 degrees Fahrenheit (0.66 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average of 58.6 degrees Fahrenheit (14.8 degrees Celsius).
In doing so, it tied with 1998 and 2005 when combining average temperatures over global land and ocean surfaces, and marked the 339th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century...