Global temperatures are almost half a degree Celsius above the long-term average so far in 2013, putting this year on course to be among the 10 hottest since records began, the world's leading meteorological agency says.
In a provisional statement on the global climate in 2013, the World Meteorological Organisation says the first nine months of this year tied with 2003 as the seventh hottest such period on record.
The statement was released in Warsaw on Wednesday where countries are meeting for the latest round of negotiations on a new treaty to tackle global warming.
In Australia, temperatures are on track for the hottest year on record. Australia's temperatures from January to October were 1.32 degrees above average, which annually is 21.8 degrees. The same period was 0.24 degrees above the next highest record - which occurred in 2005 - for January to October temperatures.
Dr Blair Trewin, senior climatologist at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it would take significantly below-average temperatures in November and December for a record hot year not to occur across the nation.
The meteorological organisation's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, said all the warmest years across the planet had occurred since 1998, and 2013 once again continued the underlying long-term trend of warming.
''The coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998,'' he said. ''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.''
Global land and ocean temperatures are recorded by the organisation as about 0.48 degrees higher in January to September than the 1961-1990 average. The temperatures so far this year are the same as the average for 2001-10, the warmest decade on record.
In other areas the extent of Arctic sea ice recovered slightly from record rates of melting last year, but 2013 was still one of the lowest years on record. Conversely in Antarctica, sea ice extent reached a record high in September. The organisation says Antarctica differs from the Arctic because it is land surrounded by open water, whereas the Arctic is comprised of water surrounded by land.
Tropical cyclones numbers for 2013 are nearing the 1981-2010 average of 89 storms, with 86 so far this year.