WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 1999

This technical document is part of an annual series published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the status of the global climate. This year’s statement focuses on the status of the global climate in 1999. It notes that despite the cooling effect of La Niña, most evident in the near-surface waters of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, 1999 was still one of the warmest years in the global historical instrumental record. Globally averaged temperature at the surface is now estimated at a little over 0.6°C above the comparable figure for the late 19th century. The 1990s were the warmest decade of the past century. Evidence is presented in this statement that, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, the 20th century was most likely the warmest in the last millennium.