2003 the 3rd warmest globally???

[senorpepr]

Provisional data from the UK Met Office suggest it will prove to have been the third warmest year globally, and the fifth warmest recorded in the UK.

Figures compiled by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia, UK, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) show 2003 to have been the third warmest year worldwide since records began in 1861.

The global mean surface temperature is estimated to be 0.45 C above the long-term average. All of the 10 warmest years have occurred since 1990, including each year since 1997.

David Parker of the Met Office said: "Six out of the seven warmest years since 1659 have occurred since 1990. Average global temperatures have risen by around 0.7 C over the past 100 years.

The UK experienced a cooler October than usual, which helped to kill any chance of setting a new British record.

The Met Office said the summer's record-breaking temperatures and a prolonged dry spell were not enough to move 2003 higher than fifth place since records began in 1659.