The Press Stories
To date, the highest temperature on the continent was recorded by WMO at the same polar station in March 2015, with the thermometer showing 17.5 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists check unusually high or low measurement values to prevent errors. Therefore, the February temperature has now been officially confirmed.
“It is important to check these maximum temperature measurements because it helps to get a picture of the weather and climate on the far edge of our planet,” said WMO Secretary-General Bettery Thalas.
On the other hand, the expert commission did not verify the record from the Brazilian station on the island of Seymour where the devices recorded a temperature of 20.8 degrees Celsius in February this year. In the vast Antarctic region, which includes islands below 60 degrees south latitude, the highest temperature is still 19.8 degrees Celsius, as measured in January 1982 on the island of Signy in southern Orkney.
Antarctica is the fastest rising continent in the world. In the last 50 years, the average temperature there has increased by three degrees.
“This new record again shows that we need to act quickly in the face of global warming,” said Celeste Saul, vice president of WMO.
“We need to constantly strengthen our measurements, forecasts and warning systems so that we can respond to these extreme events that often occur due to global warming,” he added.
