At least a half-dozen large wildfires continue to burn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina.

Two U.S. science agencies say 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record globally, part of a long-term warming trend.

Earth sweltered to a record hot September last month, with U.S. climate officials saying there’s nearly a two-to-one chance that 2020 will end up as the globe’s hottest year on record. This record was driven by high heat in Europe, Northern Asia, Russia and much of the Southern Hemisphere, said NOAA climatologist Ahira Sanchez-Lugo. California and Oregon had their hottest Septembers on record. The first nine months of 2020 are the second warmest on record, a shade behind 2016 when there was a strong warming El Nino. “We’re catching up” to 2016, Sanchez-Lugo said.