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The Met Office in the UK, one of the world's most respected authorities on weather, has predicted that 2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years.

Each January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, issues a forecast of the global surface temperature for the coming year. The forecast takes into account known contributing factors, such as El Niño and La Niña, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the cooling influences of industrial aerosol particles, solar effects and natural variations of the oceans.

For 2008 Global temperature is expected to be 0.37 °C above the long-term (1961-1990) average of 14.0 °C, but will be the coolest year since 2000 due to the development of a strong La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean. During La Niña, cold waters upwell to cool large areas of the ocean and land surface temperatures.You can find the entire article here http://aboutmyplanet.com/environment/world-continue