Verkhoyansk is a mass of houses about 5,000 kilometers from Moscow in the middle of the Arctic Circle. With 1200 stable inhabitants it is known to be one of the coldest cities in the world. Its average temperatures range from -46.2°C in January to 15.2°C in July. But on Saturday it reached 38 degrees. If the data is verified, we are looking at the highest temperature ever recorded north of the Polar Circle.
As with these measurements, there are always methodological doubts and it is good to be prudent. Nevertheless, as pointed out by the Washington Post, there are several indications that support the reading: the main one is a launch of a meteorological balloon that found unusually high temperatures. That and the huge heat wave they are suffering in all that area of Russia.
Because although it was not something to be expected, it’s not surprising either. For weeks now, Siberia has been suffering from a history-making heat wave. Temperatures have reached 18 degrees above May’s average, making it the hottest May on record.
Temperatures reached +38°C within the Arctic Circle on Saturday, 17°C hotter than normal for 20 June. #GlobalHeating is accelerating, and some parts of the world are heating a lot faster than others.
The #RaceToZero emissions is a race for survival.
Dataviz via @ScottDuncanWX pic.twitter.com/NIKeAYdiJd
— UN Climate Change (@UNFCCC) June 22, 2020
