OTTAWA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- This year is expected to be one of the three warmest years worldwide since the collection of climate data began, and Canada says it could be its hottest ever.
The U.N. World Meteorological Organization released data Thursday confirmed a warming trend of many years blamed on human-produced greenhouse gases, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The data for Canada was on track for a record-setting year, the figures show.
"Canada had its warmest winter on record, with national temperatures 4 C (7.2 F) above the long-term average," the WMO said.
"Winter temperatures were 6 C (10.8 F) or more above normal in parts of (Canada's) North," it said.
The WMO said Canada also had its warmest spring on record as well as its driest winter ever, citing as an example the poor snow conditions at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
