the following are key excerpts from a global climate report for August 2020 issued Monday by NASA on its internet site.
"The month of August marks the end of the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere's meteorological summer (winter). August 2020 was characterized by warmer-than-average conditions across much of the globe.
" Overall, August 2020 had 7.74% of the world's land and ocean surfaces with a record high August temperature. This was the fourth highest percentage for any record warm August temperature across the globe since 1951.
"However, no land or ocean surface had record cold temperatures.
"Averaged as a whole, the August 2020 global land and ocean surface temperature was 0.94°C (1.69°F) above average and the second highest August temperature since global records began in 1880. Only August 2016 was warmer with a temperature departure from average of +0.98°C (+1.76°F).
" The 10 warmest Augusts have all occurred since 1998; however, the five warmest Augusts have occurred since 2015.
"August 2020 also marked the 44th consecutive August and the 428th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average."
