The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Siberia ‘sets extreme weather record’ for Arctic Circle
Reports that temperatures in a Russian town in the Arctic Circle likely reached a record 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) have been approved pending final verification by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it said on Tuesday.
“The World Meteorological Organization is seeking to verify reports of a new temperature record north of the Arctic circle,” said WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis. “This is a reported 38 degrees Celsius, which if converted into Fahrenheit is more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It was reported in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk amid a prolonged Siberian heatwave and increase in wildfire activity.”
If the Russian authorities confirm the temperature observation taken last weekend in Verkhoyansk, WMO will then refer the finding for a further detailed review by an international panel of experts, Ms. Nullis explained in Geneva.
The region of Eastern Siberia now in the spotlight is known for its weather extremes both in winter and in summer, she added, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius not unusual in July.
“The record was reported by media to have occurred on 20 June, so this Saturday, and we’ve asked experts from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring which is known by Roshydromet…We’ve asked them why and apparently this particular region of Eastern Siberia has very, very cold extremes in winter, but is also known for its extremes in summer.”
According to WMO, the Arctic is heating at roughly twice the global average.
The heat spike follows a prolonged Siberian heatwave and wildfire period, Ms. Nullis explained, after an unusually warm spring that was also characterised by a lack of snow.
This “undoubtedly helped play a critical role in causing this extreme temperature observation”, Ms. Nullis said, quoting Professor Randall Cerveny, WMO Rapporteur on Weather and Climate Extremes.
“Siberia has experienced unusual heat this spring,” Ms. Nullis continued. “May was about 10 degrees Celsius (18.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in many parts of Siberia and it was this extraordinary heat which actually drove, made the warmest May on record for…the northern hemisphere, and also we think at a global level as well.”
According to WMO, air temperatures in the Arctic from 2016 to 2019 were the highest on record.
Equally worrying, the volume of Arctic sea ice in September 2019 – after the melting season - declined by more than 50 per cent, compared to the average from 1979 to 2019.
WMO’s verification process involves requesting additional information from the Russian meteorological service Roshydromet, including the readings, the type of equipment used and how the observation corresponds to others taken by surrounding weather stations.
“Those data will then be very carefully examined by an international panel of atmospheric scientists who, once they discussed it, will make a recommendation as to whether or not the observation is valid,” said Professor Cerveny, quoted by WMO in a statement.
He added: “The end result will be incredibly valuable information that will help climate scientists better understand climate, engineers and medical doctors better prepare for climate extremes and even the general public in achieving a better appreciation of climate change across this planet.”
This latest report of an Arctic temperature that is more typical of the Tropics comes a few months after the Argentine research base, Esperanza, on the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula, set a new record temperature of 18.4 degrees Celsius (65.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on 6 February 2020, WMO said.
- Exterior shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, sunny, flags fluttering.
- Wide shot, United Nations press room III, almost empty amid ongoing COVID-19 social distancing measures.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Clare Nullis, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokesperson: “The World Meteorological Organization is seeking to verify reports of a new temperature record north of the Arctic circle. This is a reported 38 degrees Celsius, which if converted into Fahrenheit is more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It was reported in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk amid a prolonged Siberian heatwave and increase in wildfire activity.”
- Medium-shot, observer checking mobile phone, seated.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Clare Nullis, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokesperson: “The record was reported by media to have occurred on 20 June, so this Saturday, and we’ve asked experts from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring which is known by Roshydromet as its name. We’ve asked them why and apparently this particular region of Eastern Siberia has very, very cold extremes in winter, but is also known for its extremes in summer.”
- Medium shot, journalist seated at table with laptop, looking down.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Clare Nullis, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokesperson: “Siberia has experienced unusual heat this spring; May was about 10 degrees Celsius above average in many parts of Siberia and it was this extraordinary heat which actually drove, made the warmest May on record for - certainly for - the northern hemisphere, and also we think at a global level as well.”
- Wide shot: podium speaker.
- Medium shot: journalist, seated, typing on laptop.
- Medium shot: observer texting on mobile phone and at podium (out of shot).
- Wide shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations.
- Wide shot : “Broken chair” memorial, Place des Nations, Geneva.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Tuesday UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN warns against repeating abuses in South Kordofan that occurred in El Fasher.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Mozambique floods heighten disease, malnutrition risks – UN agencies
Catastrophic flooding in Mozambique is causing massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Yemen: Children are dying and it’s going to get worse, aid veteran warns
In Yemen, renewed political instability threatens and economic woes linked to the war to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UN's top aid official there said on Monday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold
Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF
Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday with a grim reminder that the conflict has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency. Every day, civilians have been “paying the price for a war they did not choose”, said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights spokesperson, made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR
Venezuela: US military intervention ‘far from victory for human rights’, makes world less safe – UN rights office
The UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela following the United States military operation and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, insisting that the move runs counter to international law and damages global security.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
As fighting spreads across Sudan in a dangerous new escalation, "people are scared, people are fleeing their homes," the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Friday, noting that more than 50,000 people have fled attacks and violence since late October in Kordofan region alone.