The Russian town of Verkhoyansk has reported unprecedented temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius, while the Siberian heat wave has lasted longer and wildfire activity has increased, WMO spokeswoman Claire Nunis told a news conference in Geneva today.
If The Russian authorities confirm the temperatures observed on Saturday, The WMO will organize an international panel of experts to consider the findings in more detail, Claire Nunis said.
The eastern Siberian region of concern is now known for its winter and summer extremes, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in July not uncommon.
A few months earlier, on February 6, the temperature at The Esperanza research base in Argentina, on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, also hit a record high of 18.4 degrees Celsius.
The World Meteorological Organization says the Arctic is warming at about twice the global average. After an unusually warm spring with little snow, the Siberian heat wave and prolonged wildfires caused temperatures to peak, explains Claire Nunis.
Temperatures in many parts of Siberia were about 10 degrees Celsius above average in May, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Claire Nunis says the unusually high temperatures have led to the warmest May on record in the northern hemisphere.
Equally worrying, the volume of Arctic sea ice fell by more than 50 per cent last September compared with the average for the period from 1979 to 2019.
Wmo's verification process includes asking the Russian meteorological service to provide additional information, including readings, the type of equipment used and whether the observations are consistent with data from other nearby weather stations.
"The data will be examined very carefully by the international team of atmospheric scientists and they will discuss whether the observations are valid or not," Randall Cerveny, WMO rapporteur, said in a statement.
"The end result will be invaluable information to help climate scientists, engineers, the medical community and the public better prepare for extreme weather and better understand climate change across the planet," he said.
The eastern Siberian region of concern is now known for its winter and summer extremes, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in July not uncommon.
A few months earlier, on February 6, the temperature at The Esperanza research base in Argentina, on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, also hit a record high of 18.4 degrees Celsius.
The World Meteorological Organization says the Arctic is warming at about twice the global average. After an unusually warm spring with little snow, the Siberian heat wave and prolonged wildfires caused temperatures to peak, explains Claire Nunis.
Temperatures in many parts of Siberia were about 10 degrees Celsius above average in May, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Claire Nunis says the unusually high temperatures have led to the warmest May on record in the northern hemisphere.
Equally worrying, the volume of Arctic sea ice fell by more than 50 per cent last September compared with the average for the period from 1979 to 2019.
Wmo's verification process includes asking the Russian meteorological service to provide additional information, including readings, the type of equipment used and whether the observations are consistent with data from other nearby weather stations.
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| Melting glaciers on King George Island, Antarctica. |
"The end result will be invaluable information to help climate scientists, engineers, the medical community and the public better prepare for extreme weather and better understand climate change across the planet," he said.
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