WMO says Global average temperatures to continue at or near record levels in five years

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) today said that Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, with Arctic temperature anomalies expected to continue to be higher than the global mean. The conclusion was drawn from the WMO report ‘Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026-2035’, produced by Britain’s Met Office and the WMO Lead Centre for Annual to Decadal Climate Prediction. 
 
According to the report, annual global mean near-surface temperatures during the period from 2026 to 2030 will range between 1.3 and 1.9 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average. It is likely that one year coming between 2026 and 2030 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record. It predicted that the average global temperature for 2026-2030 will likely exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average, while no single year during the period is likely to exceed 2.0 degrees Celsius. The predicted average temperature in the central tropical Pacific indicates a tendency towards El Niño conditions in the next five years, particularly in 2027 and 2028. Leon Hermanson, lead author of the report, said there is an El Niño predicted for the end of 2026, which increases the chances of the following year, 2027, being the next record-breaking year.