2013 revealed as sixth warmest year on record

In its review of 2013, the world's leading meteorological authority suggests that many of last year's weather extremes are likely to have been heavily influenced by rising global temperatures.

In some ways 2013 was a typical year for the global weather. Heatwaves, cold snaps, violent storms, droughts and floods all played their part in shaping 2013 - as they do every year - but there is growing evidence that human activities are making weather extremes more frequent or extreme, the World Meteorological Authority revealed.

Some of the strongest tropical cyclones to hit land were seen in 2013, notably Typhoon Haiyan which devastated parts of the central Philippines, and Cyclone Phailin, the second strongest tropical cyclone to strike India since modern records began, resulting in the evacuation of 1.1 million people from coastal areas.

Australia and Argentina sweltered under record or near-record temperatures in the southern hemisphere, while a "blocked" jet stream in the northern hemisphere - possibly influenced by the dramatic melting of the sea ice in the Arctic - brought a bitterly cold spring to Britain and heavy rainfall and floods to central Europe.

The WMO's annual assessment of the global weather found that 2013 was the sixth warmest year on record - tied with 2007 - and that there was no let-up in global warming, the Independent reported.

13 of the 14 warmest years have occurred since 2000 and each of the last three decades have been warmer than the previous one, with the decade 2001-2010 being the warmest on record, the WMO said.

Although it is not possible to link any single event directly to global warming, a scientific analysis of the record heat-wave experienced in Australia comes very close to pinning the blame on human activities, the WMO said.