You Just Experienced One of the Warmest Julys Ever

Some parts of the world might have trouble believing it, but the globe has actually just experienced the fourth-hottest July on record, with average temperatures just about 1.15 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the century average. The global average sea temperature proved even hotter, tying with 2009's July for record warmth.

That's all according to the NOAA, which measures the Earth's average land, water and combined temperature each month.

This past July might have been hot, but it was nothing compared to the month before. In June, the same NOAA analysis found that the global land and ocean surface temperature reached 1.30 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20^th century average of 59.9 degrees.

So are we doomed to roast and boil in the coming months? Not necessarily. Ongoing monitoring of this August has found that it is actually one of the coolest on record for certain parts of the world - namely the northeast. North America's East Coast alone was just slammed with an incredible amount of cool rain, significantly lowering surface temperatures.

However, this says nothing of the global average, where drought conditions in areas like the Middle East can exacerbate already spiking total temperatures.

Sweden, for instance, is currently experiencing its highest temperatures on record, with massive record-setting wildfires sweeping through the country.

Just last month, the American Meteorological Society released a report detailing how 2013 was one of the warmest years on record - average global sea surface temperatures reached into the top 10 hottest ever at their peak.

"These findings reinforce what scientists for decades have observed: that our planet is becoming a warmer place," NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan said, commenting on the report.

According to the NOAA, whether 2014 also becomes a record-setter hinges heavily on whether an El Niño event takes hold in the Pacific. In the event this occurs, the ocean will act as a generator of heat rather thank a heat sink, raising global temperatures and giving rise to a significant number of lightning storms.

The NOAA recently released an update explaining that the National Weather Service expects a weak-to-moderate El Niño to show itself in the next few months, leading to "above average rainfall in the West and suppressed hurricane activity in the East."

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is even more specific, announcing last week that the chance of such an event is about 50 percent, although it noted that renewed El Niño signals - such as a reduction in the easterly trade winds - have been observed as of late.