The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet. New data illustrate how dire that is
The Arctic is cooking. Across northern Russia—a region that is famously bitterly cold—temperatures this week have routinely surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius), adding to the mountain of broken heat records this summer has racked up so far.
In recent days, the Selagoncy meteorological station, near the border of the Arctic Circle, recorded 93.0 degrees F (33.9 degrees C); another station, Olenek, logged 90.9 degrees F (32.7 degrees C), according to data collected by weather information service Ogimet and reported by climatologist Maximiliano Herrera. To put that in perspective, these temperatures are on par for Orlando, Fla., at this time of year.
“Studies in recent years have shown that the Arctic is warming much more rapidly than the rest of the planet due to feedback from the loss of sea ice—so it is not surprising that we are seeing these all-time record temperatures at high latitudes,” says independent meteorologist Alan Gerard.
It’s a dangerous feedback loop: as sea ice melts, the Arctic reflects less sunlight, and the ocean absorbs more heat. This generates even more sea ice loss. The region is warming as much as four times faster than the rest of the world.
Rising temperatures are unlikely to let up anytime soon, Gerard says, thanks to a strong El Niño expected this year. An El Niño year is characterized by abnormally high ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which can unleash climate chaos elsewhere—causing heavy rainfall in some areas and drought in others—as well as driving up temperatures.
“With the building potentially record El Niño, it is likely that in 2027 we will see even more record heat than we are seeing this year,” Gerard says.
Not that the planet needs any help with record-setting temperatures. In the U.S. in recent weeks, New York City’s Central Park reached 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) for the first time since 2012, parts of Montana soared to 111 degrees F (43.9 degrees C), and areas in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming surpassed 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C).
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