1st LD: 2016 Earth's 3rd straight hottest year on record: U.S. agencies

Last year's global average temperature was the hottest on record, marking the third year in a row global heat records have been shattered, according to reports published Wednesday by two U.S. government agencies that bolstered the scientific conclusion that our planet is getting warmer.

Data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that in 2016 the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.69 degrees Fahrenheit (0.94 Celsius) above the 20th century average of 57.0 degrees Fahrenheit (13.9 Celsius).

"This was the highest among all years in the 1880-2016 record, surpassing the previous record set last year by 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit (0.04 Celsius)," the NOAA report said.

"Since the start of the 21st century, the annual global temperature record has been broken five times (2005, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016)," it said.

In a separate analysis of global temperature data, scientists from the U.S. space agency NASA also found 2016 to be the warmest on record. Enditem