The United Nations has found 2014 to be heading toward becoming the warmest year since such records were kept.

According to BBC News, the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) found that the trend from the first 10 months would give this year a slight edge over 1998, 2005 and 2010. Given the extensive research on climate change, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said the findings are not unexpected.

"What we saw in 2014 is consistent with what we expect from a changing climate," he said in a statement announcing the report. "Record-breaking heat combined with torrential rainfall and floods destroyed livelihoods and ruined lives. What is particularly unusual and alarming this year are the high temperatures of vast areas of the ocean surface, including in the northern hemisphere."

He also disputed research that suggested global warming is experiencing a "pause" in which the annual average temperature has not spiked dramatically since 1998. The U.N. is also backing up their massive International Panel on Climate Change report that called for immediate action from world leaders.

"Record-high greenhouse gas emissions and associated atmospheric concentrations are committing the planet to a much more uncertain and inhospitable future," Jarraud said. "The provisional information for 2014 means that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred in the 21st century."

Omar Baddour, of the WMO's world climate data and monitoring program, told Climate Central that the researchers believe there is almost no chance of seeing a new coldest year on record, as the last time that happened was in 1909.

"2010 and 1998 were exceptionally warm because of the additional factor of the strongest-ever occurring El Niño events," he said. "Ignoring the alarming signals contained in the IPCC reports and the annual facts in the WMO statements is rather highly damaging to the planet and its citizens."