Is 2015 the hottest year so far? Based on the new data released Thursday, global temperature in May hit a record high, making this year to be the world's hottest in history.

On this week's climate report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), climate statistics revealed that this year is about to set another milestone for the warmest year on record in 135 years. The data, which was released on the same day as Pope Francis' notable 184-page papal letter, also showed that it surpassed 2014 as the hottest year on record.

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According to NOAA scientists, there are a few significant climate events from last month. Live Mint reported that one of them was the deadly heat wave between May 21 and 31, when temperatures surpassed 42 degrees Celsius across much of India, and 45 degrees Celsius in northern and central areas of the country.

Scientists added the warmth is mostly coming from the oceans, and it is due to the strengthening El Niño phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which features milder-than-average ocean temperatures. It is also responsible for the increasing air temperatures in that region. However, Mashable reported that the warm oceans haven't been limited to the tropical Pacific.

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Education (NCEI) climate monitoring head Deke Arndt also noted that the large warmth was observed in all major ocean basins. In fact, the entire global ocean is participating in the extremely warm temperatures.

"These numbers confirm what we already know: that we are continuing to warm the globe and alter our climate, and we'll see far greater (and more dangerous) changes ahead if we don't do something about our ongoing carbon emissions," Penn State University's Earth System Science Center director Michael C. Mann explained.

While there's still hope to prevent the irreversible damage, rising temperatures, changing water cycle, massive amounts of greenhouse gases and warming and acidifying of oceans are still having a major impact worldwide.

Meanwhile, the long-term trend of rising temperatures has been largely attributed to human-caused bumps in greenhouse gases, SFGATE has learned. And after witnessing a number of extreme events including the deadly heat wave in India and the torrential rain and flooding in the southern U.S., the latest NOAA climate findings clearly suggest that greater frequency and high intensity impact on weather due to climate change are likely to occur.

Tags2015, Hottest Year, 2014, Climate, weather, Temperature, Science