May 28 (UPI) -- Global warming is expected to send temperatures soaring at or near record levels over the next five years, according to a Wednesday report from the World Meteorological Organization.

2023 was a chart-topper. A surge in global temperatures made it the hottest year since record-keeping began in the mid-1800s, producing heat that one scientist called " gobsmackingly bananas." ...

According to the latest combined data from NOAA and NASA, the global surface temperature in 2024 ranked highest in the 145-year record at 1.54°C (2.77°F) above the early industrial (1881-1910 ...

The report predicts that there is an 86% chance average global temperatures will be more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years.

The graph shows the global ocean heat content (OHC) for the upper 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), relative to a 1981–2010 baseline. The energy unit is zetta joules (ZJ).

2024 was the first calendar year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, but the five-year average is still below this threshold. Credit: Copernicus Global Climate Highlights Report 2024 ...