July was the hottest month in history, and the first seven months of the year were also the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1880, US government scientists said Thursday.

The findings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed a troubling trend, as the planet continues to warm due to the burning of fossil fuels.

Not only was last month the record-breaker for heat across land and sea surfaces worldwide when compared to past months of July, "this was also the all-time highest monthly temperature in the 1880-2015 record," said NOAA in its monthly climate report.

The month's average global temperature was 61.86 Fahrenheit (16.61 Celsius).

The previous record was set in July 1998.

"The first seven months of the year (January-July) were also all-time record warm for the globe," NOAA said.