An extended warming period, resulting from an El Nino weather event in
the Pacific Ocean, is likely to push up global temperatures, experts
predict.
They say there is a 60% chance that the average surface temperature
will exceed the current record from 1998.
The forecasters also revealed that 2006 saw the highest average
temperature in the UK since records began in 1914.
The global surface temperature is projected to be 0.54C above the
long-term average of 14C, beating the current record of 0.52C, which was
set in 1998.
The annual projection was compiled by the UK Met Office's Hadley
Centre, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia.
Chris Folland, head of the Hadley Centre's climate variability
research, said the forecast was primarily based on two factors.
The first was greenhouse
gas emissions from human activity, he said.
"Greenhouse gases cause heating, while aerosols cause cooling,"
Professor Folland said.
"The other factor which allows us to make a forecast that whether one
year is significantly different from the next is the effect of the El
Nino."