2010, 1998 Hottest Period On Record: NOAA

"For the year-to-date, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature of 14.75 Celsius tied with 1998 as the warmest January-September period on record," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

"This value is 0.65 Celsius above the 20th century average."

"Warmer-than-average conditions dominated the world's land areas. The most prominent warmth was in western Alaska, most of the contiguous United States, eastern Canada, Greenland, the Middle East, eastern and central Europe, western and far eastern Russia and northeastern Asia," the analysis said. Read the full report here.

Source: Times of India, New York.