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Warmest September On Record Keeps Globe On Pace For Record 2015

CHICAGO (CBS) -- September was the warmest ever recorded around the globe, the seventh time this year a month has set a record for average global temperature.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month's global temperature was 60.62 degrees, beating a record set just last year.

In all, seven months this year have set monthly records for global heat, including July, which was the hottest month ever recorded. Only January and April did not set records for global warmth.

It also has been the warmest first nine months of any year ever recorded, dating back to 1880.

NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said it would take an extended cold stretch the rest of the year for 2015 not to pass 2014 as the hottest on record. With a strong El Niño cycle in place over the Pacific, that appears highly unlikely.

In the contiguous 48 states, the average temperature in September was 68.5 degrees, nearly 4 degrees higher than the 20th century average, ranking it the second warmest on record. The only hotter September ever recorded in the contiguous 48 states was in 1998.

Thirty states saw above average temperatures last month, with nine states in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southwest setting new heat records for the month. It was the third warmest September on record in Illinois.

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