This year is expected to be one of the three hottest ever since there are records, ranking second, above 2015 but below 2016, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced Monday.

The year 2017 is the hottest ever without the El Niño phenomenon, which affects temperatures, sea currents and precipitation, according to WMO.

The year 2016, when there was a strong El Niño, is the hottest year at all, followed by 2017 and 2015, since there are records, said the organization at the 23rd United Nations Climate Conference, which takes place in Bonn, Germany.

“The three most recent years are the hottest ever recorded and are included in the long-term warming trend of the planet,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

The year 2017 was marked by extreme weather events of unprecedented intensity, such as hurricanes in the Caribbean and the Atlantic, temperatures of 50º in Asia and drought in southern Africa. “Several of these phenomena – scientific studies will reveal just how many – have the hallmark of global warming brought on by the concentrations of greenhouse gases released by human activity,” he said.