Weather
According to Gizmodo, the North Pole experienced above average temperatures on Wednesday, December 30th for the second time ever at this time of year. The Post’s Capital Weather Gang examined buoy data from near the North Pole and reported a record high temperature of 33 degrees Fahrenheit. These above freezing temperatures weren’t short lived either, they were experienced for greater than six hours.
“Some climate models predict an ice-free Arctic at least part of the year in the coming decades. If you’re going to have an ice-free Arctic and you’re going to have big melts in the summertime but also limit ice recovery in the winter, you’re going to have to have events like this happen,” stated senior meteorologist Brandon Miller.
The North Pole experienced temperatures that are fifty degrees above average during a time where the average temperature is minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. A low-pressure system brought tornadoes and blizzards to the United States, along with July-like temperatures to the North Pole in the middle of the winter. 2015 has been the warmest year on record, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see unseasonably warm temperatures, but it should concern you. The temperatures are expected to cool down and go back to normal in the near future, which is very crucial for the sea ice and wildlife in the North Pole.
“If you have a lot of these events, especially with strong winds that can push that sea ice around and cause some vulnerabilities, if this is a pattern of things to come, it could really become worrisome for the stability of the Arctic,” stated senior meteorologist Brandon Miller.
