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September blew away the margin for Earth's warmest month on record

Sea surface temperature anomalies across the tropical Pacific Ocean, showing the hallmark pattern of El Nino. Image: Climate Reanalyzer

September 2015 was the warmest such month for Planet Earth since such data began in 1880, and very likely long before that, according to data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The first nine months of the year were also record warm, increasing the likelihood — which was already 97% by one measure — that this will be the warmest year the planet has seen since at least 1880.