Arctic heat wave

Temperatures in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk, 57 miles north of the Arctic Circle, reached 100° Fahrenheit on June 22, the first time a triple-digit temperature has ever been recorded within the Arctic Circle. The average summer high in Verkhoyansk is 64°F. (Verkhoyansk is also where the coldest temperature for the Arctic was recorded, -90°F, in 1892.)

Throughout the months of March, April and May 2020, temperatures north of the Arctic Circle were averaging 50°F above normal. At press time, a number of wildfires were burning in Arctic Russia. Wildfires are a common occurrence in the Arctic during summer but have increased in number and volume in the Arctic in recent years.