Final answer:
El Niño is the climatic feature that contributed to making 2017 one of the hottest years on record.
Step-by-step explanation:
The notable climatic feature that contributed to making 2017 one of the hottest years on record, despite its occurrence without a specific meteorological phenomenon, is El Niño.El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and it occurs when a band of warm ocean water develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including off the Pacific coast of South America. El Niño causes changes in weather patterns around the world and may result in extreme weather events in some regions.
During an El Niño event, there is high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific, leading to global changes in temperatures and rainfall patterns.