21 November 2014: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), global average temperature over land and ocean surfaces for January to October 2014 was the highest on record, and October was the hottest since measurements began in 1880. NOAA reports that the combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the January–October period was 0.68°C above the 20th century average of 14.1°C, while, for October, it was 0.74°C above the 20th century average of 14.0°C. The high October temperature was reasonably evenly distributed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the Southern Hemisphere experiencing its hottest October and the Northern Hemisphere its third warmest.

October marked the third consecutive month and fifth of the past six months with a record high global temperature for its respective month, as July was fourth highest.

The Tokyo Climate Center (a WMO Regional Climate Centre) and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies also reported October as the hottest on record. WMO uses a combination of datasets to compile its annual Statement on the Status of the Global Climate, and is expected to issue its provisional statement for 2014 on 2 December 2014 at simultaneous press conferences in Lima, Peru, where the UN Climate Conference will be taking place, and Geneva, Switzerland. [WMO Press Release][NOAA Website on October Temperatures][Tokyo Climate Center Website]