Highest Daily Temperature On Record For November In Svalbard; 9.4C At 78N

[hatrack]

Link to tweet

“It is the highest temperature officially recorded in Svalbard during November,” says Climate Scientist Ketil Isaksen with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in a tweet. At Longyearbyen airport, the peak temperature last night reached 9,2 °C for a short period, nearly two degrees warmer than the last November record measured in 1975 when the thermometer reached 7,5 °C. Historically, average November temperature for Longyearbyen is a low of -10,1 °C and high of -5,1 °C.

The sun is now under the horizon for a Polar Night that last until early March.

Last night’s heat follows a pattern of extreme temperatures for the European and Russian Arctic this summer and fall. Average temperature at the Russian archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya north of the Siberian mainland was as much as ten degrees Celsius warmer than normal in October. In July, Longyearbyen at Svalbard had new heat record ever for the Norwegian Arctic with 21,7°C.

Located at 78° North, Longyearbyen faces climate changes like few other towns. Houses are sagging as thawing permafrost makes the ground unstable. Until last winter, Svalbard counted 100 consecutive months with above normal temperatures.

EDIT

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/climate-crisis/2020/11/record-november-warmth-svalbard