UN validates record temperature of 38°C in June 2020 in the Arctic

Registration was made in the Russian city of Verkhoyansk

Published on 14/12/2021 - 07:02 By RTP - Genebra

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) today (14) validated the record temperature of 38° Celsius in the Arctic, recorded in the Russian city of Verkhoyansk on June 20, 2020, a new "warning sign on climate change".

"This new arctic record is one of the observations transmitted to the extreme climate archive of the WMO, the UN agency that is raising the alarm about the changes being suffered by the climate", said the secretary general of the organization, Petteri Taalas, noting that in the same year Antarctica also registered a record of 18.3°C.

Verkhoyansk lies about 115 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, and temperatures have been measured since 1885.

This region of Eastern Siberia has a very dry continental climate, resulting in very cold winters and very hot summers.

The WMO researchers are trying to "verify a temperature of 54.4°C recorded in 2020 and 2021 in the hottest place on earth, Death Valley in California, and also validate a new European heat record of 48.8°C established. in Sicily this summer," said Taalas. "This survey highlights rising temperatures in a region that is important to the rest of the world in terms of climate." It is important to monitor it continuously, added WMO rapporteur on climate and climate extremes, Randall Cerveny.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Arctic is one of the regions with rapid temperature rise, the WMO created a new category, the highest temperature in or to the north of the circle.

The group of experts responsible for certifying these records examines the validity of the instruments used for measurement and their consistency with current weather.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.

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