The year 2013 is currently on course to be among the top ten warmest years since modern records began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO believes that a build-up of man made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere means a warmer future was impossible to avoid.
"A build-up of man made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere meant a warmer future was now inevitable," said WMO secretary general Michel Jarraud.
In an overview of 2013 the WMO said that temperatures so far this year are about the same as the average during 2001-2010, which was the warmest decade on record.
All of the warmest years have been since 1998 and this year once again continues the underlying, long-term trend, while the coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998.
In contrast with 2012, when the United States, in particular, observed record high annual temperatures, the warmth in 2013 was most extreme in Australia.
And the WMO also confirmed that global sea levels reached a new record high, with the level rising at an average rate of about 3.2 millimetres per year.
Comments