I'd like to return to this post, because I don't think I did it justice.
Australias hottest year
The most extreme heat was in Australia, which suffered its hottest year on record (1.20°C above the 1961-1990 average), frequent heatwaves, and warmer than average temperatures throughout the year. Again, the Australian heat occurred despite the neutral Southern Oscillation. Australia broke all of the following records in 2013:
Hottest national average daily maximum temperature (40.30°C on 7 January)
Seven consecutive days of national average maximum temperature over 39°C (28 January)
Hottest January
Hottest month ever (January)
Hottest January sea surface temperature in surrounding seas
Hottest February sea surface temperature in surrounding seas
Hottest summer (December 2012February 2013)
Record-breaking March heatwave in Melbourne
Tasmanias hottest March
Hottest northern wet season (October 2012April 2013)
South Australias 3rd warmest autumn (MarchMay)
2nd hottest first half of a calendar year (JanuaryJune)
3rd warmest winter (JuneAugust)
Warmest winter day (29.92°C on 31 August)
Warmest September
Warmest month after removing the seasonal cycle (2.75°C above average in September)
South Australias previous record warm September exceeded by an unprecedented almost 2°C (5.39°C above average)
Hottest 12-month period (record broken three times: September 2012August 2013, then October 2012September 2013, then November 2012October 2013)
2nd hottest November sea surface temperature in surrounding seas
Warmest spring (SeptemberNovember)
Yet another Australian heatwave began on 27 December, continuing into January 2014 and breaking records in many places. It was soon followed by one of southeast Australias most significant heatwaves (1318 January 2014), killing almost 400 Australians and rivalling the 2009 heatwave that caused the Black Saturday bushfires.
Beyond Australia
Parts of central Asia, Ethiopia, and Tanzania suffered record heat. Greenland recorded its warmest air temperature (25.9°C on 30 July). In August, China saw one of its worst ever heatwaves, killing over 40 people. Russia experienced its hottest November and December (with Siberia 9°C above average in December). Few parts of the world were cooler than average, and nowhere experienced record cold.
Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and western Pacific surface temperatures were all warmer than average. The warm oceans helped fuel an above-average North Pacific typhoon season. Typhoon Haiyan was the strongest tropical cyclone ever to make landfall, killing over 5,700. Although global precipitation was near-average, extreme flooding and drought occurred in many parts of the world.
The most notable cold weather that occurred in 2013 was actually a side effect of global warming. The unusual Arctic warmth led to a record negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation in which cold Arctic air moved south (like a freezer door being left open). This in turn caused a cold northern spring in the US and Europe. This warm Arctic, cold continents phenomenon has occurred in several recent years and may be a permanent shift in weather patterns. Unfortunately this means North America, the hub of climate change denial, is experiencing consistently cold winters while the rest of the Earths surface cooks.
Global warming not slowing - it's speeding up