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19 photos that show life around the world in the hottest month ever recorded

Kevin Loria

2015-09-17T19:35:00Z

July hottest month — Bakersfield, UNITED STATESA dry pipe drips water on Gless Ranch in Kern County, California, United States July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Throughout the summer, droughts have ravaged California and Brazil. Wildfires raged and burned in the American West, Europe, and Asia. A heat wave in the Middle East brought temperatures over 120 degrees Fahrenheit to Iraq — and it felt like 164 F in Iran.

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July was the hottest month ever recorded.

Scientists are trying to figure out if super-hot summers exacerbated by climate change are just the new normal.

Scroll through for a look at the way people around the globe sweated through a sweltering month.

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Greece dealt with extreme heat along with a debt crisis. This man tried to stay cool at a beach outside of Athens.

July Hottest Month — Athens, Greece A man takes a shower on a beach at a southern Athens suburb July 30, 2015. REUTERS/ Yiannis Kourtoglou

About 500 km away, in another part of Greece, local residents near the town of Neapoli struggled to extinguish this wildfire.

July Hottest Month wildfire greece — NEAPOLI, Greece Local residents try to extinguish a wildfire raging at the village of Neapoli in the region of Laconia in Peloponnese, southern Greece July 17, 2015. REUTERS/Panagiotis Kouros/Eurokinissi

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Such fires raised alarm around the world this summer. Firefighters in the West worked to contain blazes like this one in Lake County, California.

July Hottest Month wildfire — Firefighters work to dig a fire line on the Rocky Fire in Lake County, California July 30, 2015. REUTERS/Max Whittaker

The Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa, California left just the remains of this structure.

july hottest month — The remains of a burned structure is seen at the site of the Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa, California July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

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This terrifying blaze in Saskatchewan, Canada, was photographed from a plane.

July hottest month — LA RONGE, CanadaFlames from a wildfire approach trees on the edge of the airport in La Ronge, Saskatchewan July 5, 2015 in a picture provided by Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment contract pilot Corey Hardcastle. REUTERS/Corey Hardcastle/Handout via Reuters

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A helicopter captured the smoke from this wildfire in Sumatra, Indonesia.

July hottest month — SIMPANGTIGA, IndonesiaA forest fire is seen from a helicopter belonging to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in Tulung Selapan district, South Sumatra, Indonesia, July 27, 2015 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. REUTERS/Nova Wahyudi/Antara Foto

The moon shone through the smoke of this California fire.

July hottest month — PHELAN, UNITED STATES The moon sets through thick smoke at the North Fire near the Phelan, California July 17, 2015. REUTERS/Gene Blevins

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This dry pipe in Bakersfield, California, is an emblematic image for the state.

July hottest month — Bakersfield, UNITED STATESA dry pipe drips water on Gless Ranch in Kern County, California, United States July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Some thirsty almond trees didn't survive the California drought.

July Hottest Month — Bakersfield, UNITED STATESDead almond trees are seen near Bakersfield, California, United States, July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

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In Los Angeles, in response to the historic drought, some homeowners replaced their lawns with artificial turf.

July hottest month — Los Angeles, UNITED STATES Workers install artificial turf in the yard of a home in Los Angeles, California, July 28, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

New York was sweltering.

July Hottest Month New York — A woman covers herself from the sun with a blue hat during a hot summer day in New York July 29, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

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Central Park's shade offered a respite from the New York sun.

July Hottest month — New York, UNITED STATES People enjoy a sunny day at Central Park in New York July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

A nap outside in the shade by a stream was this man's way of staying cool in Seoul, South Korea.

July Hottest Month Korea — Seoul, South Korea A man takes a nap during a hot summer day at the Cheonggye stream in central Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

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Getting in the water was the best way to stay cool in Ronda, in southern Spain.

July Hottest Month — RONDA, Spain Women cool off at a swimming pool during the second heat wave of the summer, in Ronda, southern Spain, July 5, 2015. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

In Iraq, this Baghdadi policeman resorted to a portable way of staying cool.

July hottest month — Baghdad, IraqAn Iraqi policeman sprays water on his face to beat the heat in Baghdad, July 16, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

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This man shielded himself from the heat outside the Vatican, where Pope Francis has called for action against climate change.

July hottest month — Vatican City, Vatican A faithful shelters from the sun with an umbrella as Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic palace in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Not everyone avoided the sun. This man in Budapest was making the most of it.

July hottest month — Budapest, Hungary A man sunbathes during a hot summer day in Budapest, Hungary, July 22, 2015. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

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Meanwhile, in places like Canberra, Australia, shown here, it stayed cooler — in the Southern Hemisphere, after all, it's winter.

July Hottest Month — Sheep graze in front of wind turbines that are part of the Infigen Energy's Capital Windfarm located on the hills surrounding Lake George, near the Australian capital city of Canberra, Australia, July 17, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray

Summer

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