2005 global average temperature may reach record high
Japan's Meteorological Agency says the global average temperature this year is likely to reach the highest in over 100 years.
The agency calculates the global average temperature every month from data obtained from 1,300 observation points around the world.
The agency says the monthly average temperature has been higher than usual since March.
The figure of June was 0.64 degrees centigrade higher than normal for this time of year, the highest ever since 1880.
In July, deadly heat waves occurred in the US state of Arizona and Algeria.
High temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius were reported in Oslo, Norway, and Ulan Bator, Mongolia, where maximum temperatures are usually around 20 degrees Celsius in July.
The agency says high temperatures will continue due to rising seawater temperatures in the tropics as well as global warming.
The agency says the global average temperature of this year will mark the highest, exceeding the figure of 1998.
NKH, Japan
