Second hottest 12 months ever recorded

After the 1998 El Niño, it took 12 years before the average global temperature exceeded the 1998 level again, and temperatures dropped a lot in the 3 or 4 years after 1998.  After the 2016 El Niño, temperatures haven't dropped much.  In fact, the 12 months to August 2019 were the equal second hottest since 2016.  The equal second hottest since 1880. 

Source: NOAA