On June 6, temperatures at Argentina’s Esperanza Station (WAP ARG-Ø4) on the Trinity Peninsula reached 15.4°C (59.7°F), setting a new winter temperature record for Antarctica. During what should be the continent’s coldest season, temperatures soared to more than 20°C above average, with daily highs remaining above freezing for three consecutive weeks.
In the depths of Antarctic winter, a record 15.4°C (59.7°F) was recorded at Esperanza Station, more than 20°C above average for a season normally defined by deep freeze.At the same time, an area of sea ice roughly the size of France was missing from Antarctica’s west coast. During the austral winter, Antarctica should be rebuilding the ice, stability, and resilience it relies on for the year ahead. Instead, that foundation is weakening in real time. Temperatures in the Antarctic reached a high of 15.4C on 6 June. The data was logged by the Argentinian Esperanza base on the Trinity peninsula
On the other hand, the high-altitude Research Station, Concordia (WAP MNB-Ø3), logged a low of minus 119.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 84.1 degrees Celsius) on July 18, according to data from the Station.
Concordia is located in the interior of the Antarctic continent, which is currently in the dead of winter with no sunlight. Temperatures at the station regularly fall below minus 112 F (minus 80 C) this time of year — so the new reading isn’t unprecedented, but it’s still significant.