Report: Monday hottest day on Earth

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— While everyone was outside celebrating the holiday, a new report says Earth just experienced its hottest day.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports the average temperature on Earth Monday was the warmest on record.

The average global air temperature two meters above the surface was 62.62 degrees.

That beats the previous record of 62.46 reached both last July and in August 2016.

Researchers think the heat is due to a combination of climate change and El Nino.

That’s a naturally occurring weather pattern that can cause parts of North America to become warmer than usual.