2016 on track for hottest year on record

MARRAKECH, Morocco – The U.N. weather agency says 2016 is set to break the record for the hottest year since measurements began in the 19th century.

The World Meteorological Organization said Monday that preliminary data through October shows global average temperatures this year are 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

That’s getting close to the limit set by the global climate agreement adopted in Paris last year. It calls for limiting the temperature rise since the industrial revolution to 2 degrees C or even 1.5 degrees C.

This year’s temperatures were boosted by the El Nino weather event.

The previous hottest year was 2015. WMO said 16 of the 17 hottest years have occurred this century, with the only exception being 1998, which was also an El Nino year.