UN: 2013 to be Among 10 Hottest Years Recorded

This year is on track to be one of the 10 hottest years since modern record-keeping began in 1850, the United Nation's weather agency said Wednesday in its annual climate report, which details 2013's significant weather events around the world, such as Typhoon Haiyan, which has devastated the Philippines.

In a provisional release of the Statement of Global Climate 2013, The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said this year once again continues a long-term trend of warming and the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and other greenhouse gasses will reach new highs.

"Temperatures so far this year are about the same as the average during 2001-2010, which was the warmest decade on record," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement. "All of the warmest years have been since 1998 and this year once again continues the underlying, long-term trend. The coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998," he said.

The hottest year on record is 2010. 

"Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases reached new highs in 2012, and we expect them to reach unprecedented levels yet again in 2013. This means that we are committed to a warmer future," Jarraud said, adding, "Surface temperatures are only part of the wider picture of our changing climate. The impact on our water cycle is already becoming apparent - as manifested by droughts, floods and extreme precipitation."

Globally, it has been a slightly below average year for tropical cyclones, with a total of 86 storms to date, three less than the average of 89. But as of early November, the Western North Pacific typhoon season recorded 30 storms, including 13 typhoons, above the 1981-2010 average of 26, the WHO said.

"The Philippines is reeling from the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful tropical cyclone ever to hit the country and one of the most intense ever recorded anywhere. It is still struggling to recover from Typhoon Bopha one year ago," Jarraud said. "Although individual tropical cyclones cannot be directly attributed to climate change, higher sea levels are already making coastal populations more vulnerable to storm surges. We saw this with tragic consequences in the Philippines," Jarraud said.

The report also stated that global sea levels are rising, hitting a record high in March. Each year since satellite record-keeping began in 1993, the seas have been rising by about one-tenth of an inch, or 3.2 millimeters per year, which scientists have attributed to global warming.