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North Pole Could Be Hotter Than Istanbul And Chicago Today

Temperatures in the north pole could be 35C warmer than usual for this time of year, say meteorologists. The low pressure system that has brought extreme weather to the UK and US, and is the result of the 2015 El-Nino, could make the Arctic’s temperature hotter than Chicago, Vienna or Istanbul on Wednesday. The Guardian reports: The Arctic could reach temperatures about 35C (63F) warmer than average for this time of year, meteorologists have warned. Computer model projections earlier this week suggested that the air temperature at the pole, which is currently shrouded in 24-hour darkness, could reach 5C, rather than the usual -30 to -35C, according to Mashable. This would make it milder than much of Canada and the US. Temperature fluctuations are fairly common in the Arctic, where shifts in sea ice cover can significantly affect local air temperatures, but such a strong variation is extreme. “That’s absolutely terrifying and incredibly rare,” meteorologist Eric Holthaus told Slate. “By any yardstick, these are extremely warm and likely record readings for the north pole,” noted climate blogger Robert Scribbler. The strange weather coincides with an unusually warm winter in Europe and the eastern US and torrential flooding in parts of [...]