Siberia, temperatures out of control. 25.6 degrees reached in May
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Temperatures in Siberia were completely abnormal in the first part of the year, with peaks that shattered previous records.
Siberia, temperatures out of control. 25.6 degrees reached in May
Temperatures in Siberia were completely abnormal in the first part of the year, with peaks that shattered previous records.
Siberia is synonymous with polar cold. With semi-desert steppes covered in snow and ice. And with record temperatures: it is in the city of Oymyakon that the lowest value ever recorded for a permanently inhabited settlement is believed to have been reached, at around 70 degrees below zero. And yet climate change is making itself felt with force here too.
The previous record in Khatanga was +12 degrees Celsius
During the month of May, in particular, new records were set in Siberia. But this time it is not the cold making headlines: on the contrary, one of the coldest regions on Earth found itself having to contend with an unprecedented heatwave. In the village of Khatanga, right on the edge of the Arctic Circle, 25.6 degrees Celsius were reached on 22 May. In a region where temperatures normally hover around zero. It is enough to consider that the previous record was 12 degrees.
An "astonishing" heat wave is gripping Siberia, where temperatures are hotter than they are in D.C. Temperature anomalies are about 40 deg F above average. Oh, and have we mentioned the possibility of "zombie fires?" Yeah, that's a thing. washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/0…
These phenomena are not without consequences for the region's equilibrium. Snow is indeed disappearing markedly early, with the layer of ice melting a month ahead of schedule. And with the risk of another devastating wildfire season.
As is well known, during 2019 the fires in the Arctic Circle were devastating. And this year they could prove worse due to the abnormal temperatures and the drought recorded in March and April, as confirmed by the European climate monitoring service Copernicus. But the same "long wave" effect of 2019 could also be a factor.
The risk of zombie fires in Siberia
In mid-May, the magazine New Scientist warned of the risks posed by so-called "zombie fires". That is, the remnants of last year's blazes, which some scientists believe may have remained active beneath the ash, "smouldering" throughout the winter. These, it is suggested, would now be ready to reignite with the return of the warm season. It is a hypothesis still under scrutiny by the scientific community but one that cannot be ruled out.
🔥We are at the start of the boreal and #Arctic wildfire season. What does an unusually warm winter mean for fire conditions and activity in the far north?
Find out in this new article from the #CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service➡️bit.ly/2XaTNpI
Find out in this new article from the #CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service➡️bit.ly/2XaTNpI
What is certain, however, is that since the beginning of 2020, temperatures have been above average across Asia and much of Europe. In Siberia in particular, the temperature has remained consistently at least 3 degrees above average. And in Russia the figure was more than 6 degrees above average between January and April: "This is not only a record for Russia, but the largest anomaly ever recorded in a national average anywhere in the world," Berkeley Earth, an independent non-profit organisation based in California, United States, pointed out.
A series of concurrent circumstances caused these historic anomalies. Starting with the strength of the polar vortex, an area of low pressure that sits semi-permanently at altitude above the North Pole, and which this year was particularly powerful. In addition, a large anticyclone formed over the northern part of Russia, more intense than any other area of high pressure on Earth.
36.6 degrees in Montréal. 50 degrees reached in India
Thus, the month of April in particular proved historic. It was in fact the warmest since regular temperature monitoring began, that is, since 1850. March, meanwhile, was the fourth warmest on record. While January and February came in second place.
VIDEO: India is wilting under a heatwave, with the temperature in places reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and the capital enduring its hottest May day in nearly two decades
In many parts of the world, moreover, extreme temperatures were recorded. Such was the case in Montréal, Canada, where in May temperatures reached 36.6 degrees Celsius (the highest ever recorded in that month and only one degree below the all-time record). Likewise, Beijing, China, is facing an exceptional heatwave. In India, furthermore, at the end of May impressive peaks were reached: in New Delhi the thermometer read 47.6 degrees Celsius. While in neighbouring Rajasthan temperatures touched 50 degrees.
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