The Arctic heatwave ongoing in Siberia is contributing to continued record-low sea ice extent in the Laptev Sea. It reached a staggering +31.4°C (88.5°F) at 73 degrees north.
NASA satellite imagery just in captures the break-up in exceptional detail.
THREAD
This is the Laptev Sea ice extent up to 20 June 2021.
2020 was by far the most extreme melt season in the area. But this year continues to break that record comfortably.
This is the weather observations from earlier today in the area.
To be clear, this is not a temperature record. I have been chatting with @EKMeteo and he has reminded us that last year reached 31.4°C on 24 June here and then a mind-blowing 34.3°C on 30 June 2020.
The low ice extent in the surrounding Laptev Sea is record breaking.
Roasting hot out there. We are also at the summer solstice, relentless daylight and minimum temperature not dropping below 20-25°C widely within the Arctic Circle.
This is referred to as a 'tropical night'. Although, the word 'night' is rather redundant in Arctic summer.
Temperatures are locally 20-25°C hotter than the climate average for this time of year. This part of the world gets some of the most impressive temperature extremes.
Some places in Europe didn't just record their warmest February on record.... They went on to beat their warmest MARCH temperature levels.
[THREAD]
Effectively everywhere in the dark red shading smashed warmest February record - most by large margin. Austria 🇦🇹 has over 250 years of temperature record and nothing compares to this. Not even close.
BREAKING: Valencia 🇪🇸 has just scorched its previous heat record by a shocking +3.4°C
The new provisional record stands at 46.8°C (116.2°F). This is a huge record-break.
Before commenting.... please read the thread.
Historical record can be found here:
Simply select the variables you would like to check. This weather station has data since 1966. A lengthy period of observation to smash a record by such huge margin. https://t.co/JHyxNLmKZXaemet.es/es/servicioscl…
The final maximum to the decimal point may still change in final daily maximum but it is a clear record by large margin.
Please read through this thread... There is a lot of detail. The temperature dropped suddenly after the maximum and can be explained.
The Mediterranean is now completely outside all previous records. We have never measured this level of heat across the basin at any time of year.
It is only July. We usually see the annual maximum in August.
We could also be looking at a new world record in ocean heat from Manatee Bay (Florida). Please carefully read the excellent thread by @DrJeffMasters, there are a few uncertainties explained
Our oceans have been breaking heat records across the globe daily since March.
Excessive and sustained heat in the oceans can have enormous impact on many types of marine life. We have seen damaging marine heatwaves before, but not like this.
A short thread...
Let's start with the Mediterranean...
The Mediterranean Sea has never been this warm so early in the year (in modern record). The current heat is challenging some of the hottest moments which usually occur in August.
We know from past study that the some of the fiercest marine heatwaves (like 2003 and last year) led to mass mortality of some species in the Meditteranean