Feb. 9 (UPI) — Scientists this week logged the hottest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica.
Scientists at Argentina’s Esperanza research station, with the country’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN), said it was 65 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit set in March 2015 at the same location.
Temperature records at the site date back to 1961.
The World Meteorological Organization said Friday that it would convene a committee to confirm the results.
“Everything we have seen thus far indicates a likely legitimate record but we will of course begin a formal evaluation of the record once we have full data from SMN and on the meteorological conditions surrounding the event,” WMO’s Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur, Randall Cerveny, said.
According to the WMO, the Antarctica peninsula is among the fastest warming regions on the planet, warming by 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 50 years.
This week, the European Union’s climate monitoring system reported that January 2020 was the hottest January on record, and earlier this year the Copernicus Climate Change Service determined 2019 was the second-hottest year on record.
