2014 officially declared hottest year on record

Japan Meteorological Agency has revealed that 2014 is officially the hottest year on record.

According to the data, upward march of the world's average temperature since 1891 is a trademark of human-influenced global warming with 2014 being the latest stop on the climb, while 10 of the hottest years have come since 1998, Discovery News reported.

The researchers found that the average temperature was 1.1 degree Fahrenheit above the 20th century, wedges 1998, the previous warmest year, by about 0.1 degree Fahrenheit. One big difference between 2014 and 1998 is that the latter was on the tail end of a super El Niño, which has the tendency to spike temperatures. In comparison, 2014 was the year of the almost El Niño.

Instead, record warmth in other parts of the Pacific as well as the hottest year on record in Europe were some of the main drivers in fuelling the heat, while seasonal temperatures also paint a picture of a planet that didn't get a break. Spring, summer and fall were all record-setting hot. Last winter was the only season not to set a record, and even that was still the sixth-warmest winter.