WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2008

This technical document is part of an annual series published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the status of the global climate. It highlights that the year 2008 was notable, in particular, as it signalled positive global temperature anomalies, which positioned it among the ten warmest on record since the beginning of modern measurements in 1850. Several extreme weather and climate events were recorded in various parts of the world in 2008, of which perhaps the most dramatic was tropical cyclone Nargis, which made landfall in Myanmar in May, causing catastrophic destruction and more than 70 000 fatalities. Other parts of the world suffered severe flooding, extreme heatwaves and droughts in 2008, while Arctic sea ice was once more observed to decline markedly, reaching during September its second-lowest historic extent.