2003 third hottest year on record

THE year 2003, marked by a sweltering summer and drought across huge swaths of the planet, was the third hottest in more than 150 years, the UN weather agency said yesterday.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said it expects the average surface temperature for the full year to stand 0.45 degrees higher than normal.

The hottest year on record was 1998, when the average temperature was 0.55 degrees higher.