WASHINGTON (AFP) - Last month was the hottest January in modern times, United States data showed on Wednesday (Feb 17), the latest in a string of heat records fuelling concerns over the pace of climate change.

The average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.04 deg C above the 20th century average for January, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

This was the highest January average since records began in 1880, NOAA said in a statement, surpassing the previous record of 2007.

January marked the ninth consecutive month to break a monthly global temperature record, NOAA said, after the blistering temperatures of 2015 set a heat record for the year.