--- description: Last month was the hottest September on record, increasing chances that 2015 will be the hottest year in centuries title: Last Month Was the Hottest September on Record image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt896151eb80d536a5/6988693c196cf483fd0389d0/gettyimages-555281625.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [climate change](/tag/climate-change/) ## climate change Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Last Month Was the Hottest September on Record  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Oct 21, 2015 7:40 PM CUT  New York 42nd street in the morning with sun glare New York 42nd street in the morning with sun glareGetty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Oct 21, 2015 7:40 PM CUT Another month, another temperature record falls. Last month was the hottest September on record, increasing chances that 2015 will be the hottest year in centuries, according to a new federal [report](http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201509 "undefined"). The average temperature across the globe was 60.62ºF (15.9ºC). That’s a 1.62ºF (0.9°C) higher than the average September in the 20th century. The trend held true on both land and ocean surfaces. The September record marks the fifth month in row of record temperatures, making it even more likely that 2015 will be the hottest year on record. A [report](http://time.com/4033315/global-warming-speed-up/ "undefined") released last month from the British Met Office suggested that record for 2015 was a foregone conclusion and 2016 would likely be even hotter. A number of factors contributed to the elevated temperatures, including [end to a so-called global warming hiatus](http://time.com/4038110/global-warmings-comeback/ "undefined")—which scientists say was caused by a variety of factors, including stronger trade winds and volcanic eruptions that shielded the Earth from the sun—that slowed the rate of climate change for the first decade of the 21st century. El Niño, a climate phenomenon triggered by unusually warm temperatures along the equatorial Pacific, has also struck this year and is expected to continue into the spring of 2016\. Forecasters say it may be the biggest El Niño on record. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4081985/september-record-heat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4081985/september-record-heat/"},"headline":"Last Month Was the Hottest September on Record","datePublished":"2015-10-21T19:40:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:58:36.827Z","description":"It marks the fifth month in row of record temperatures","url":"https://time.com/4081985/september-record-heat/","keywords":["climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt896151eb80d536a5/6988693c196cf483fd0389d0/gettyimages-555281625.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt896151eb80d536a5/6988693c196cf483fd0389d0/gettyimages-555281625.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"555281625","caption":"555281625","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate-change/","name":"climate change"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4081985/september-record-heat/","name":"Last Month Was the Hottest September on Record"}}]}] ```