February was Earth's hottest month on record ever. Yes, you should freak out.

Shanghai, China, March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song

NASA, the Japan Meteorological Agency and other climate research groups report that February was the planet's warmest seasonally adjusted month on record. Last month was also the world's most unusually warm month since 1880, when instrument records began.

Gavin Schmidt at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who isn't one for getting too excited over things, had only one word for this significant and concerning data milestone: "Wow."

Mashable's listicle is right. The numbers are shocking. The February 2016 climate records are notable for the unusual heat more than any other recorded month in our history.

Here's a good related piece about the challenge of connecting the climate change dots to specific extreme weather events, like a major hurricane or drought.