3 December 2014: 2014 is turning out to be one of the hottest years, if not the hottest year, on record, according to preliminary estimates by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO attributes the high temperatures to record high sea surface temperatures, which contributed to heavy rainfall and floods in many countries and extreme drought in others. The WMO’s provisional statement of the ‘Status of the Global Climate in 2014′ is intended to inform the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Lima, Peru.

WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said the preliminary information for 2014 means that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record occurred in the 21st century, noting that high temperatures in large areas of the ocean this year are particularly “unusual and alarming.” Speaking at the press conference, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that, with each year, the risks of extreme weather events and impacts on humanity increase.

The statement explains that average land surface temperatures for January to October 2014 were about .86°C above the 1961-1990 average, and western North America, Europe, eastern Eurasia, much of Africa, large areas of South America and southern and western Australia were especially warm. Global sea-surface temperatures were the highest on record, at approximately .45°C above the 1961-1990 average. Around 93% of the excess energy trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases (GHG) ends up in the oceans, leading to warming and increased volume through thermal expansion. The statement also notes the contribution of melting of glaciers and ice sheets; in early 2014, sea levels reached a record high for that time of year.

The statement also notes that 2014 was marked by flooding around the world, droughts, heavy snowfall and tropical cyclones. On GHG concentrations, globally averaged atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide reached 396 parts per million or approximately 142% of the preindustrial average.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Annual GHG Index shows that from 1990 to 2013, radiative forcing by long-lived GHGs increased by 34%, with carbon dioxide accounting for 80% of the increase. Final updates and figures for 2014 will be published in March 2015. [WMO Press Release] [Draft Statement of the Status of Global Climate in 2014] [IISD RS Story on January-October Temperatures]