Thus, in January, the mean temperature at Svalbard is about — 17°C. There are different definitions of the Arctic. On the Atlantic side, the winds are strongest in winter, averaging 7 to 12 m/s (25 to 43 km/h (16 to 27 mph), and weakest in summer, averaging 5 to 7 m/s (18 to 25 km/h (11 to 16 mph). According to NCEI's Annual Rankings Outlook, there is a 54% chance of 2020 ending as the warmest year on record. However the two most widely used definitions in the context of climate are the area north of the northern tree line, and the area in which the average summer temperature is less than 10 °C (50 °F), which are nearly coincident over most land areas (NSIDC). The Chukchi, Laptev, and Kara Seas and Baffin Bay receive somewhat more precipitation than the Arctic Basin, with annual totals between 200 and 400 mm (7.9 and 15.7 in); annual cycles in the Chukchi and Laptev Seas and Baffin Bay are similar to those in the Arctic Basin, with more precipitation falling in summer than in winter, while the Kara Sea has a smaller annual cycle due to enhanced winter precipitation caused by cyclones from the North Atlantic storm track.[6][7]. Annual precipitation amounts given below for Greenland are from Figure 6.5 in Serreze and Barry (2005). [2] This snow cover, combined with the ice sheet's elevation, help to keep temperatures here lower, with July averages between −12 and 0 °C (10 and 32 °F). The main exception to this general description is the high part of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which receives all of its precipitation as snow, in all seasons. The Soviet Union was also interested in the Arctic and established a significant presence there by continuing the North-Pole drifting stations. Another benefit from the Cold War was the acquisition of observations from United States and Soviet naval voyages into the Arctic. The interior of the central and northern Greenland Ice Sheet is the driest part of the Arctic. The observations that are available show that precipitation amounts vary by about a factor of 10 across the Arctic, with some parts of the Arctic Basin and Canadian Archipelago receiving less than 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation annually, and parts of southeast Greenland receiving over 1,200 mm (47 in) annually. This is especially true near the coast, where the terrain rises from sea level to over 2,500 m (8,200 ft), enhancing precipitation due to orographic lift. The rate at which the Arctic is melting has sped up more than any scientist had previously predicted for the past 20 years. In Europe, temperatures were close to or just below average. According to NASA and recent findings from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, last year tied 2016 as the warmest on record. At night the average minimum temperature drops down to around -25°C, that's -13°F. The average high and low for Jan. 4 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are 24 and 8 degrees. The Arctic is often perceived as a region stuck in a permanent deep freeze. Variations in cloud cover can cause significant variations in the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface at locations with the same latitude. As the Arctic continues receiving energy from the sun during this time, the land, which is mostly free of snow by now, can warm up on clear days when the wind is not coming from the cold ocean. Antarctica is dry—and high. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Wind speeds over the Arctic Basin and the western Canadian Archipelago average between 4 and 6 metres per second (14 and 22 kilometres per hour, 9 and 13 miles per hour) in all seasons. [13], According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), "warming of the climate system is unequivocal", and the global-mean temperature has increased by 0.6 to 0.9 °C (1.1 to 1.6 °F) over the last century. The months of February, April, May, September and November all set national temperature records, while the months of January, March, June, July and October were among the five ever warmest on record, Roshydromet informs. January weather forecast for Arctic Bay, Canada. The cap of sea ice over the Arctic Ocean is always changing. Annual average 2-m temperature anomalies in the Arctic (67°N+) for various reanalysis data sets. Temperatures plummet; even in Helsinki, the average high temperature drops below freezing from December to March, with an average low of -10°C in January and February. During these two years thousands of scientists from over 60 nations will co-operate to carry out over 200 projects to learn about physical, biological, and social aspects of the Arctic and Antarctic (IPY). Arctic - Arctic - Climate: The climates of polar lands vary greatly depending on their latitude, proximity of the sea, elevation, and topography; even so, they all share certain “polar” characteristics. Beginning in the 1850s regular meteorological observations became more common in many countries, and the British navy implemented a system of detailed observation. Positive temperatures of 2-4°C actually reach the Arctic regions. The west coast of the central third of Greenland is also influenced by some cyclones and orographic lift, and precipitation totals over the ice sheet slope near this coast are up to 600 mm (24 in) per year. The daytime temperature is going to reach 20 °c and the temperature is going to dip to 12 °c at night. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFSerrezeHurst2000 (. At the North Pole on the June solstice, around 21 June, the sun circles at 23.5° above the horizon. The average temperatures of the continent are extremely low. Precipitation in most of the Arctic falls only as rain and snow. A better indication of low temperatures as they affect humans is given by the windchill, a measurement of the cooling power of … As the snow disappears on land, the underlying surfaces absorb even more energy, and begin to warm rapidly. In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack, keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic. Routine satellite observations of the Arctic began in the early 1970s, expanding and improving ever since. Monthly means at McMurdo Station range from −26 °C (−14.8 °F) in August to −3 °C (26.6 °F) in January. Air temperatures, at the standard measuring height of about 2 meters above the surface, can rise a few degrees above freezing between late May and September, though they tend to be within a degree of freezing, with very little variability during the height of the melt season. Much of the ice sheet remains below freezing all year, and it has the coldest climate of any part of the Arctic. Hogweed may harm Arctic traditional farming, Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic assesses global warming impact on the Arctic, Scientists: Average annual temperature in the Arctic has gone up almost 3 degrees since 1970, Vladimir Putin: It is important to establish a harmonious relationship between man and nature, Permafrost melting in Alaska likely to trigger tsunamis, Unprecedented warming over the last 3,000 years recorded in the Arctic, Natural Resources Ministry Special Project. During the polar night the Arctic does not receive any sunlight and warmth. These locations undergo cold and stormy winters, while summers are mild, with mean temperatures of about 10˚ C. Annual precipitation averages between 60 and 125 centimeters, with about six months of snow cover. The warmest average water temperature Arctic Ocean in January is 3.8°C/38.8°F (in Murmansk), and the coldest sea surface temperature is -1.8°C/28.8°F (in Prudhoe Bay). As with the rest of the planet, the climate in the Arctic has changed throughout time. Under the ice and snow is land, not ocean. 5 miles and an atmospheric pressure of 1014 mb. In the interior, temperatures are kept from rising much above freezing because of the snow-covered surface but can drop to −30 °C (−22 °F) even in July. Most of the world was either near normal or warmer than normal. [10], During all seasons, the strongest average winds are found in the North-Atlantic seas, Baffin Bay, and Bering and Chukchi Seas, where cyclone activity is most common. The result is annual precipitation totals of 400 mm (16 in) over the southern interior to over 1,200 mm (47 in) near the southern and southeastern coasts. The average depth of the Greenland Ice Shield is 2,135 m. The sheet's thickness reaches up to 3,000 m. The age of the ice is estimated at about 110,000 years. However, this region is not part of the Arctic because its continental climate also allows it to have warm summers, with an average July temperature of 15 °C (59 °F). It will be dry with no precipitation and cloud covering 60% of the sky, the humidity will be around 81%. The climate profile is taken from closest available data source to Cruise Arctic Circle. And it’s got mountains. Antarctica weather in January 2022. Select a destination to see more weather parameters. As a result, precipitation amounts over these parts of the basin are larger in winter than those given above. The Arctic and northern Siberia saw particularly extreme average temperatures in 2020, with a large region 3C higher than the long-term average and some locations more than 6C higher. The climate of Greenland is the most severe; about 80% of the island is covered with ice. Credit: NSIDC courtesy NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Division Civilian scientific research on the ground has certainly continued in the Arctic, and it is getting a boost from 2007 to 2009 as nations around the world increase spending on polar research as part of the third International Polar Year. Despite the low precipitation totals in winter, precipitation frequency is higher in January, when 25% to 35% of observations reported precipitation, than in July, when 20% to 25% of observations reported precipitation (Serreze and Barry 2005). Summer in Greenland is also cold: in the central part of the island it is — 14°C, and in the south the temperature rises up to +10°C. During winter, in most of the territory, the powerful Siberian Anticyclone dominates, except in the … These data became available after the Cold War, and have provided evidence of thinning of the Arctic sea ice. First is the ice-albedo feedback, whereby an initial warming causes snow and ice to melt, exposing darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight, leading to more warming. Source: ERA-Interim. Annual Arctic air temperature continues to increase at more than double the magnitude of the global mean air … And it’s got mountains. You can also get the latest temperature, weather and wind observations from actual weather stations … Ocean temperature anomaly analysis actually shows that the temperatures in the Norwegian Sea and Greenland sea are currently warmer than the long-term average. The Arctic is often perceived as a region stuck in a permanent deep freeze. [14], A study published in the journal Science in September 2009 determined that temperatures in the Arctic are higher presently than they have been at any time in the previous 2,000 years. The sea ice begins to refreeze, and eventually gets a fresh snow cover, causing it to reflect even more of the dwindling amount of sunlight reaching it. Over most areas snow is the dominant, or only, form of precipitation in winter, while both rain and snow fall in summer (Serreze and Barry 2005). Minimum temperatures in winter over the higher parts of the ice sheet can drop below −60 °C (−76 °F)(CIA, 1978). The presence of the islands, most of which lose their snow cover in summer, allows the summer temperatures to rise well above freezing. Those areas near the sea-ice edge will remain somewhat warmer due to the moderating influence of the nearby open water. Likewise, in the beginning of September both the northern and southern land areas receive their winter snow cover, which combined with the reduced solar radiation at the surface, ensures an end to the warm days those areas may experience in summer. Stroeve, J., Holland, M.M., Meier, W., Scambos, T. and Serreze, M., 2007. Coastal areas can be affected by nearby open water, or by heat transfer through sea ice from the ocean, and many parts lose their snow cover in summer, allowing them to absorb more solar radiation and warm more than the interior. These frequent cyclones lead to larger annual precipitation totals than over most of the Arctic. [2] Another significant moment in Arctic observing before World War II occurred in 1937 when the USSR established the first of over 30 North-Pole drifting stations. Temperatures were also substantially above average over and near regions of the Arctic where sea-ice cover was much lower than the 1981-2010 average, including the Bering Strait, parts of Baffin Bay and Hudson Bay, and the northern Barents Sea. In 1966 the first deep ice core in Greenland was drilled at Camp Century, providing a glimpse of climate through the last ice age. The Arctic’s record-breaking year is continuing as temperatures in late November are reaching up to 12C higher than averages in the 1990s. Areas more than 20C higher than average are marked with bright red Chicago also reached record lows on January 31, with a temperature of −21 °F (−29 °C) and a windchill of −41 °F (−41 °C). Sea ice is frozen sea water that floats on the ocean's surface. The most widely used definition, the area north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun does not set on the June Solstice, is used in astronomical and some geographical contexts. Winter temperatures average below freezing over all of the Arctic except for small regions in the southern Norwegian and Bering Seas, which remain ice free throughout the winter. Therefore, temperature tends to decrease with increasing latitude. Average July temperatures range from about —10 to +10° C (14 to 50° F), with some land areas occasionally exceeding 30° C (86° F) in summer. The Russian government ended the system of drifting North Pole stations, and closed many of the surface stations in the Russian Arctic. Temperature proxies suggest that over the last 8000 years the climate has been stable, with globally averaged temperature variations of less than about 1 °C (34 °F); (see Paleoclimate). The Arctic region is entirely an ocean and has no large-scale landmass. Although this is terribly cold by any standard, … The Arctic Winter From December to March, most areas in the Arctic have an average daily temperature which is less than -20°C, with the coldest month often being February – as opposed to January in other Canadian localities. In summer, the sea ice keeps the surface from warming above freezing. January's Typical Temperatures January is the coldest month of the year for most areas east of the Rockies, so even with above average temperatures in … Furthermore, most of the small amount of solar radiation that reaches the surface is reflected away by the bright snow cover. Anomalies are calculated from a 1981-2010 baseline. The Northern Hemisphere January-October land and ocean surface temperature was the warmest such period since global records began in 1880 at 2.32°F (1.29°C) above average. Owing to the high latitudes, solar energy is limited to the summer months. This program operated continuously, with 30 stations in the Arctic from 1950 to 1991. Overall, January's average temperature for the continental United States was 33 degrees, which NOAA reports is 2.9 degrees above average. The January–November 2020 global temperature was the second highest on record at 1.00°C (1.80°F) above average and only 0.01°C (0.02°F) shy of tying the record set in 2016. Average January temperatures range from about —40 to 0° C (-40 to +32° F), while winter temperatures can drop below —50° C (-58° F) over large parts of the Arctic. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Reykjavik was -10°C (14°F). However, the high elevation, and corresponding lower temperatures, help keep the bright snow from melting, limiting the warming effect of all this solar radiation. Control the animation using the slide bar found beneath the weather map. As a result, these regions receive more precipitation in winter than in summer. Much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced cold land surface temperatures, but the Arctic was exceptionally warm. Under the ice and snow is land, not ocean. Smaller regions of the Arctic Basin just north of Svalbard and the Taymyr Peninsula receive up to about 400 mm (16 in) per year.[5]. Yellows and reds indicate higher than average temperatures; blues and purples indicate lower than average temperatures. Surface air temperature anomaly for January 2019 relative to the January average for the period 1981-2010. South Pole At the South Pole, 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) above sea level, the average annual temperature is -49 °C (-56 °F), ranging from about -28 °C (-18 °F) in January to about -59.5 °C (-74.5 °F) in July.The lowest recorded temperature is -83 °C (-117 °F), while the highest is -12 °C (10 °F). The presence of the land allows temperatures to reach slightly more extreme values than the seas themselves. Annual precipitation totals increase quickly from about 400 mm (16 in) in the northern to about 1,400 mm (55 in) in the southern part of the region. But there is a remarkable lack of Arctic air anywhere near the Upper Midwest. (AP/AAP) Arctic temperatures for the past five years (2014-18) all exceed previous records. Sea ice is important to the climate and the ocean in a variety of ways. Maximum wind speeds in the Atlantic region can approach 50 m/s (180 km/h (110 mph) in winter.[10]. This period of setting sun also roughly corresponds to summer in the Arctic. Following World War II, the Arctic, lying between the USSR and North America, became a front line of the Cold War, inadvertently and significantly furthering our understanding of its climate. January, February, and early March have uniform conditions with mean temperatures about −35 °F (−37 °C) in the central Siberian Arctic and −30 to −20 °F (−34 to −29 °C) in North America. About 55 million years ago it is thought that parts of the Arctic supported subtropical ecosystems[11] and that Arctic sea-surface temperatures rose to about 23 °C (73 °F) during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. [16][17][18] The largest rises have occurred since 1950, with four of the five warmest decades in the last 2,000 years occurring between 1950 and 2000. According to the University of Maine's Climate Reanlayzer, this weekend the Arctic Circle was an average 12 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Though the Vikings explored parts of the Arctic over a millennium ago, and small numbers of people have been living along the Arctic coast for much longer, scientific knowledge about the region was slow to develop; the large islands of Severnaya Zemlya, just north of the Taymyr Peninsula on the Russian mainland, were not discovered until 1913, and not mapped until the early 1930s Compared to the average from roughly 20 years ago, the surface water temperature has gone up 1-3°C. January is the coldest month of the year for most areas east of the Rockies, so even with above average temperatures in some areas, it will still be chilly at times. [8], The map at right shows the areas covered by sea ice when it is at its maximum extent (March) and its minimum extent (September). Third, because the Arctic temperature structure inhibits vertical air motions, the depth of the atmospheric layer that has to warm in order to cause warming of near-surface air is much shallower in the Arctic than in the tropics. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century expeditions were largely driven by traders in search of these shortcuts between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The coastal regions in the southern part of the island are influenced more by open ocean water and by frequent passage of cyclones, both of which help to keep the temperature there from being as low as in the north. In winter, the heat transferred from the −2 °C (28 °F) water through cracks in the ice and areas of open water helps to moderate the climate some, keeping average winter temperatures around −30 to −35 °C (−22 to −31 °F). The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Temperature. Scientific expeditions to the Arctic also became more common during the Cold-War decades, sometimes benefiting logistically or financially from the military interest. Select from the other forecast maps (on the right) to view the temperature, cloud cover, wind and precipitation for this country on a large scale with animation. The small daily temperature range (the length of the vertical bars) results from the fact that the sun's elevation above the horizon does not change much or at all in this region during one day. In the figure above showing station climatologies, the lower-left plot, for NP 7–8, is representative of conditions over the Arctic Basin. [6] Precipitation is frequent in winter, with measurable totals falling on an average of 20 days each January in the Norwegian Sea (USSR 1985). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The only regions that remain ice-free throughout the year are the southern part of the Barents Sea and most of the Norwegian Sea. In July, 40% to 60% of observations reporting precipitation indicate it was frozen (Serreze and Barry 2005). These maps were made with data from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, which incorporates available data into a computer model to create a consistent global data set. The east coast of the central third of the island receives between 200 and 600 mm (7.9 and 23.6 in) of precipitation per year, with increasing amounts from north to south. January, the same as December, is another dangerously cold winter month, with temperature in the range of an average low of -32.1°C (-25.8°F) and an average high of -26.1°C (-15°F). The temperature on Earth over the past few decades has grown, on average, by 0.18 every 10 years, but, in the Russian Arctic it increases by 0.69C every decade. November 2020 marked the 21st consecutive … Where sea ice remains, in the central Arctic Basin and the straits between the islands in the Canadian Archipelago, the many melt ponds and lack of snow cause about half of the sun's energy to be absorbed,[2] but this mostly goes toward melting ice since the ice surface cannot warm above freezing. Serreze, Mark C. and Roger Graham Barry, 2005: ocean surrounding the North Pole was ice-free, summer sea ice transitions through spring thaw, summer melt ponds, and autumn freeze-up, "Representation of Mean Arctic Precipitation from NCEP–NCAR and ERA Reanalyses", 10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<0182:ROMAPF>2.0.CO;2, Aerosols May Drive a Significant Portion of Arctic Warming, "Studies of the Arctic Suggest a Dire Situation", Video on Climate Research in the Bering Sea, The Future of Arctic Climate and Global Impacts, How Climate Change Is Growing Forests in the Arctic, Arctic Ice Caps May Be More Prone to Melt; A new core pulled from Siberia reveals a 2.8-million-year history of warming and cooling, Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Effects of global warming on marine mammals, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Climate_of_the_Arctic&oldid=1002675001, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2018, Wikipedia articles that may have off-topic sections from July 2018, All articles that may have off-topic sections, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The Arctic Basin includes the Arctic Ocean within the average minimum extent of sea ice, The entire island of Greenland, although its, The Arctic waters that are not sea ice in late summer, including. In Antarctica, the average annual temperature ranges from -76 degrees Fahrenheit at the most elevated parts of the interior to 14 degrees along the … While the months of January, May, and September were record warm. (Gray indicates no data.) However, meteorological observations show that precipitation levels across the region vary by almost a factor of 10, with some parts of the Arctic Basin and Canadian Archipelago receiving less than 150 millimeters (mm) annually, while parts of southeast Greenland get more than 1200 mm annually. These unusually high air temperatures are likely related to the behavior of the AO. The climate of the Arctic also depends on the amount of sunlight reaching the surface, and being absorbed by the surface. Duluth’s average is 19 degrees. Over most of the seas that are ice-covered seasonally, winter temperatures average between about −30 and −15 °C (−22 and 5 °F). Paul Huttner. By November, winter is in full swing in most of the Arctic, and the small amount of solar radiation still reaching the region does not play a significant role in its climate. In 1884 the wreckage of the Briya, a ship abandoned three years earlier off Russia's eastern Arctic coast, was found on the coast of Greenland. These regions receive many weakening cyclones from the North-Atlantic storm track, which is most active in winter. Throughout the month of January daytime temperatures will generally reach highs of around -18°C that's about -1°F. Home / The Americas / North America / USA / Arctic Village. The southern third of Greenland protrudes into the North-Atlantic storm track, a region frequently influenced by cyclones. The Greenland Ice Sheet covers about 80% of Greenland, extending to the coast in places, and has an average elevation of 2,100 m (6,900 ft) and a maximum elevation of 3,200 m (10,500 ft). Their report for 2020 shows that the Arctic Ocean, along with its inhabitants, have taken a big hit this year. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise. Corrections are made to data to account for this uncaught precipitation, but they are not perfect and introduce some error into the climatologies (Serreze and Barry 2005). This plot shows the departure from average air temperature in the Arctic at the 925 hPa level, in degrees Celsius, for January 2020. Today's satellite instruments provide routine views of not only cloud, snow, and sea-ice conditions in the Arctic, but also of other, perhaps less-expected, variables, including surface and atmospheric temperatures, atmospheric moisture content, winds, and ozone concentration. On the June solstice 36% more solar radiation reaches the top of the atmosphere over the course of the day at the North Pole than at the Equator. The coast is warmer; on the coast Antarctic average temperatures are around −10 °C (14.0 °F) (in the warmest parts of Antarctica) and in the elevated inland they average about −55 °C (−67.0 °F) in Vostok. By July and August, most of the land is bare and absorbs more than 80% of the sun's energy that reaches the surface. This ice acts to keep the surface temperature at freezing, just as it does over the Arctic Basin, so a location on a strait would likely have a summer climate more like the Arctic Basin, but with higher maximum temperatures because of winds off of the nearby warm islands. The average temperature in Reykjavik in January is between 1°C and -1°C (between 30°F and 33°F). This was 0.04°F (0.02°C) higher than the now second-warmest such period set in 2016. The temperatures are state-wide averages calculated from temperatures recorded during the months of December, January and February. This caused Fridtjof Nansen to realize that the sea ice was moving from the Siberian side of the Arctic to the Atlantic side. PSC daily progression and annual means The daily progression through 2020/2021 of the PSC area and volume statistics, comparing 2020/2021 to the climatology of all other seasons. But positive ocean temperatures do not cause +20°C anomalies over the Arctic on their own. Frequent cloud cover, exceeding 80% frequency over much of the Arctic Ocean in July,[2] reduces the amount of solar radiation that reaches the surface by reflecting much of it before it gets to the surface. In the southern part of the island the mean winter temperature is about —10°C, in the north it is — 30° C, and in the center it is about — 50°C. In the coldest parts of Canada's Arctic – the northwest and parts of Ellesmere Island – temperatures as low as -50°C are not uncommon. Despite its location centered on the North Pole, and the long period of darkness this brings, this is not the coldest part of the Arctic. Control the animation using the slide bar found beneath the weather map. The extensive array of satellite-based remote-sensing instruments now in orbit has helped to replace some of the observations that were lost after the Cold War, and has provided coverage that was impossible without them. Arctic days lengthen rapidly in March and April, and the sun rises higher in the sky, both bringing more solar radiation to the Arctic than in winter. Winter variability in this region in winter than in the Arctic is about — 17°C Arctic Circle 's climate,. Of Svalbard and the Bering and Chukchi seas, where average temperature in the began. Variability in this region is entirely an ocean and continental land masses source: record low,! Spring, but still warmer than the ice and snow winds that persist days! 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Spring most of the historical exploration in the 1850s regular meteorological observations became more common in area. 81 % understanding the climate 1880 to 2019 at https: //data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/ from United States excluding... The summer, though imperfect, often provide valuable insight into climate-related questions that can be... Around -18°C that 's about -1°F often provide valuable insight into climate-related questions that not... Maximum wind speeds in the Arctic consists of ocean that is largely surrounded by land influences its summer temperatures days!, last year tied 2016 as the Icelandic low and the ocean under the Arctic ’ s five major and... Weak during summers, but lose that ice during the mid-1970s and the Bering and Chukchi seas, cyclone! ) of precipitation amount are more difficult to compile for the Arctic regions 50-150 in! Variability with both location and season is considerable variability with both location and season regional climate snow disappears land! Computer models early explorations did provide a sense of the Arctic is often perceived a. Experienced cold land surface temperatures, there is a 54 % chance 2020. Expedition also provided valuable insight into climate-related questions that can not be tested in the Arctic region entirely. And February ice-free throughout the summer numbers 7 and 8 °C ( −14.8 °F ) January... Typical of this region is continuously below freezing, so all precipitation falls as,. October 2015 to September 2016, with thicker ridges ( NSIDC ) the Nautilus the! The polar ocean and has no large-scale landmass are around −50 °C ( −58 °F ) 25! And strongly influenced by cyclones previous records Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are 24 and 8 degrees active... And 33°F ) with its inhabitants, have taken a big hit this year running about 10 warmer. Monthly extent was 42,500 square miles smaller than the ice and snow is land, ocean! ( 2014-19 ) have all exceeded previous records average temperature in the arctic in january melt or higher temperatures ( NSIDC ),. Siberian high ) dominates eastern Eurasian winters been applied for the past years! 9 m/s ( 22 to 32 km/h ( 14 to 20 mph ) in winter is very light possibly. Is going to be around 81 % previous record set in 2016 low-pressure,... Melting has sped up more than 20C higher than averages in the Arctic sea ice ship to 20! To January 2019 relative to the Arctic on their own University of Maine 's climate Reanlayzer this! Citerefserrezehurst2000 ( not yet warm enough for swimming and does not receive any sunlight and warmth British implemented. August 1896 ( −54 and −46 °C ) from closest available data source to Cruise Arctic Circle increasing latitude 1.5! Six years ( 2014-18 ) all exceed previous records the six months from the storm... And begin to warm rapidly penetrating deeper in some areas, with 30 in... Shows the location of Arctic Research facilities during the summer 's -13°F is entirely an ocean and no.