2023 is set to be one of the world's hottest years ever as the temperatures continue to rise.
It comes as the Met Office has predicted that global temperatures will be at least 1C above pre-industrial levels.
They added that in 2023, the global average temperature will be around 1.2C above what they were before humans impacted climate change.
The prediction would make it the 10th year in a row to see global average temperatures reach at least 1C above what they were in pre-industrial times, measured as the period 1850-1900.
📉 It has turned MUCH warmer over the last day or so, but there are signs that this milder spell may be brief, with colder air possibly returning in time for #Christmas - perhaps bringing #snow in places
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 19, 2022
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Currently, the hottest year on record since 1850 is 2016, a year that saw an “El Nino” climate pattern in the Pacific which pushes up global temperatures on top of global warming trends.
2023 could be one of the hottest years ever, Met Office predicts
Head of long-range prediction at the Met Office, Professor Adam Scaife said: "Without a preceding El Nino to boost global temperature, 2023 may not be a record-breaking year, but with the background increase in global greenhouse gas emissions continuing apace it is likely that next year will be another notable year in the series.”
The lead of the 2023 global temperature forecast from the Met Office, Dr Nick Dunstone said: "The global temperature over the last three years has been influenced by the effect of a prolonged La Nina – where cooler-than-average sea-surface temperatures occur in the tropical Pacific.
“La Nina has a temporary cooling effect on global average temperature.”
He also added that next year could see an end to the La Nina state, saying: "For next year our climate model is indicating an end to the three consecutive years with La Nina state, with a return to relative warmer conditions in parts of the tropical Pacific.
“This shift is likely to lead to global temperature in 2023 being warmer than 2022.”
At the end of 2021, the Met Office predicted that the 2022's global temperature would be between 0.97C and 1.21C above pre-industrial levels, with a central estimate of 1.09C, while data for the year to October suggests the temperature is around 1.16C above the pre-industrial era.
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