Globally 2022 was the sixth warmest year in a series stretching back to 1850, according to figures released by the Met Office.

It is the ninth year in succession that has equalled or exceeded 1.0 °C above the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). The global average temperature for 2022 was 1.16 °C above the pre-industrial baseline; 0.04 °C warmer than the value for 2021. This places 2022 nominally the sixth warmest year in the HadCRUT5 global temperature dataset, which runs from 1850.

Dr Colin Morice is a Climate Monitoring and Research Scientist with the Met Office. He said: “2022 was another near-record year for global average temperatures, despite the slight cooling influence of La Niña: a pattern of climate variability in the tropical Pacific that typically acts to suppress global temperatures.

“Climate variability has always imparted an influence on global temperature, making some years slightly warmer or cooler than others. The influence of natural variability throughout the 173-year-long observed temperature record is small compared to the ongoing warming due to human-induced climate change.”

2016, which experienced a significant El Niño event, is currently the warmest year in the series since 1850.

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