(CNN) There has never been a hotter month recorded on Earth than this July, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could even exceed the record set in July 2016.

Global average temperatures for July are on par with and possibly higher than those in July 2016, when the planet experienced extreme warming, according to preliminary data for July 1-29 released by the Copernicus Climate Change Programme, known as C3S, which analyzes temperature data from around the planet. The final data will be released Monday.

🌡📈☀️ July 2019 is on course to be the hottest month in recorded history, and at the least equaled the record set in July 2016, new data via @CopernicusECMWF shows. It means that 2015-2019 looks set to be the warmest recorded 5-year period. READ MORE▶️ https://t.co/8CON53iUE7 pic.twitter.com/3drPLzlkgl

Freja Vamborg, senior scientist at Copernicus, which is a part of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the global average temperature for July 1-29 is estimated at 16.6 degrees Celsius (61.88 degrees Fahrenheit), rivaling the July 2016 record of 16.67 degrees Celsius (62 Fahrenheit).

According to Vamborg, temperatures over the past 12 months are "very similar" to those recorded between July 2015 and June 2016, when the world was in the throes of one of the strongest El Niño events on record.

El Niño events are characterized by warming of the ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean and have a pronounced warming effect on the Earth's average temperature.

Though there was a weak El Niño in place during the first part of 2019, it is transitioning to a more neutral phase, making the extreme July temperatures even more alarming.

Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said this July has "rewritten climate history, with dozens of new temperature records at the local, national and global level."

The July record follows a period of extremely hot weather around the globe.

According to Copernicus, April, May and July all ranked among the warmest on record for those months, and this June was the hottest June ever.

Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Baltimore Orioles outfielder Keon Broxton douses himself with water prior to a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, July 19. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US People sunbathe at Pier 45 in New York on Saturday, July 20. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Children cool down as they play in a public fountain in New York on July 19. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Whirl, an Amur tiger at the Brookfield Zoo, received an ice treat filled with chuck meat and bones, as zoo officials work to keep the animals cool, hydrated and fed on July 19 in Brookfield, Illinois. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US People rest in the shade at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on July 19. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Marcus Rimson, 16, waits for the bus after work in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Thursday, July 18. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Track security officer Patty Patterson carries a bag of ice on her shoulders as she walks back to her post during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, on July 20. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Vehicles drive over a buckled road, caused by the heat, on Interstate 229 under the Western Avenue bridge in Sioux Fall, South Dakota, on July 19. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US People hold umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun on July 19, in New York. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US A woman floats in a tube on the Comal River, in New Braunfels, Texas, on July 18. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Albert Tapia, 29, a foreman for PowerComm Construction, Inc., works at a construction site on 13th Street in Washington, DC, on July 18. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US Birds splash in a fountain on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 19. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Dangerous heat wave hits the US A man wipes his face with a towel while standing on subway platform in New York on July 20. Hide Caption 13 of 13

Intense heat waves have swept Europe this summer, breaking temperature records in at least a dozen countries. Scientists have warned that the world should expect more scorching heat waves and extreme weather due to climate change.

"This is not science fiction. It is the reality of climate change. It is happening now, and it will worsen in the future without urgent climate action. Time is running out to rein in dangerous temperature increases with multiple impacts on our planet," Taalas stressed.

2015 through 2018 have been the four warmest years on record, according to Copernicus and other independent temperature-observing groups, such as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.

Vamborg said the data suggested that we are on track for the second-hottest year ever.

She added that these temperature highs are in line with climate predictions and that we can expect to see more records if we fail to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

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The July temperature is about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to Copernicus.

This means we are rapidly approaching the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees, which will precipitate the risk of extreme weather events and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned last year that we have until 2030 to avoid such catastrophic levels of global warming and called on governments to meet their obligations under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement