BERLIN (AP) — The United Nations has expressed alarm after scientists recorded the 12th straight global monthly heat record in a row.

The data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Thursday confirmed earlier readings taken by NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency. They showed that Earth's average temperature in April was 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 20th-century average.

A spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization said Friday "what's particularly concerning is the margin at which these records are being broken. They are not being broken, they are being smashed and on a fairly consistent basis."

Spokeswoman Clare Nullis told reporters in Geneva that while the records set last year were already alarming, "the heat that we're seeing in 2016 makes 2015 pale by comparison."