Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Antarctica, the world’s coldest and most remote continent, is experiencing an unprecedented winter heatwave, setting new records for prolonged high temperatures. According to the British Antarctic Survey and Britain’s National Polar Research Institute, the continent has seen a significant temperature anomaly throughout July 2024, with near-surface temperatures averaging 3.1 degrees Celsius (5.
58 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal. While temperature anomalies during Antarctica’s winter are not uncommon, the length and intensity of this warm period are particularly alarming. Polar Climate Scientist Thomas Caton Harrison, from the British Antarctic Survey, described the longevity of the warm period as “unusual,” indicating a potential shift in the continent’s climate patterns.
Preliminary data show that July 2024 is on track to be the second warmest July in Antarctica since records began in 1979, surpassed only by July 1981. Average daily temperatures during this period ranged from -34.68 degrees Celsius on July 15 to -28.
12 degrees Celsius on July 31, according to the University of Maine. On August 7, the most recent date available, the average temperature on the continent was -26.6 degrees Celsius.
Certain regions, particularly Dronning Maud Land and parts of the eastern Weddell Sea offshore, experienced temperature anomalies of 9-10 degrees Celsius above normal. While daily temperature anomalies are not rare during the Antarctic winter, the .