Headlines blare: Antarctica is HOT!
A heat wave in Antarctica does not mean the same as other places.. The latest data shows high temperatures in portions of East Antarctica – where the most abnormal conditions are ongoing – that are typically between minus 58 and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit are now closer to minus 13 to minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit..
There is alarm.. but it does happen..
The set of atmospheric conditions largely responsible for the ongoing heat wave – a breakdown of the southern polar vortex – is only expected to occur once every two decades on average, according to Bracegirdle.
“This is a very unusual event, from that perspective,” Thomas Bracegirdle, deputy science leader for the British Antarctic Survey’s Atmosphere, Ice and Climate team, said.
There is a lot of panic being reported on this.. But just breathe in the cold hot air for a moment. These temperatures actually match, just about exact, to press reported back in June 1934, 90 years ago now.. this clipping from the Hugo Daily News in Oklahoma memorialized for the records:
Here is an AP dispatch from August 12, 1977:
