Story highlights Average temperature over land, sea in 2014 was 1.24 F above 20th-century average

"This was the highest among all 135 years in the 1880-2014 record," report says

(CNN) 2014 was the Earth's warmest year on record, a U.S. weather agency announced Friday, with average temperatures 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit above the previous high.

The National Climatic Data Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, noted the average temperatures over land and oceans were higher in 2014 than any year since 1880 when record-keeping began.

Last month also had the third-highest average global land temperature -- out of any December in the past 135 years -- at 2.45 degrees F above average, according to the agency.

The announcement marks the third time the past decade has produced record-setting warmth on an annual basis.

But 2014's warmth was historic, and it surpassed the prior records in 2005 and 2010, the agency said.

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