A United Nations agency confirmed today that an arctic temperature record of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit was reached in a Siberian town last year.
A prolonged heat wave caused widespread alarm about the intensity of global warming.
The record temperature was hit on june 20, 2020, and is only 71 miles north of the Arctic Circle, which is a region warming at more than double the global average.
The World Meteorological Agency opened a record number of investigations into weather extremes as climate change is believed to be connected to severe storms and heatwaves.
"It was recorded last year, so the 20th of June 2020," said Clare Nullis of the World Meteorological Organization. "And we have recognized it as a new Arctic record."
Arctic records are a new category and that data is used to check against other records as part of a vigorous verification process, involving a network of volunteers.
The record has officially been entered into the world weather and climate extremes archive.
