Record-High Temperatures in the Arctic

Published at: Jun 24 2020 - 13:19 / Updated at: Jun 24 2020 - 13:19

Temperatures in the Arctic Circle are likely to have hit an all-time record on Saturday, reaching a scorching 38C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, a Siberian town, according to the BBC. The record still needs to be verified, but it appears to have been 18C higher than the average maximum daily temperature in June.

A persistent heatwave this year in the Arctic Circle has worried meteorologists. In March, April and May, the Copernicus Climate Change service reported that the average temperature was around 10C above normal.

The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average. Warming in the Arctic is leading to the thawing of once permanently frozen permafrost below ground, releasing carbon dioxide and methane previously locked up below ground.