New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Weather Discussion => International => Topic started by: Mark on February 03, 2023, 07:57:15 PM
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As discussed yesterday, for the past 7-decades –at least– Antarctica has been defying AGW Party orders and COOLING with its ice sheet EXPANDING. This trend has intensified in recent years, with the burgeoning 2023 continuing the move…
Extreme cold (for summer) is striking Antarctica this January with anomalous readings well-below -40C a regular feature.
On Saturday, Jan 28 the infamous Vostok Station, which lies at the southern Pole of Cold, posted a staggering -47.5C (-53.5F) — the station’s lowest January temperature since the -48.5C (-55.3F) of Jan 30, 1989 (solar minimum of cycle 21).
Then, on Sunday, Jan 29, Vostok sank even further, logging a low of -48.7C (-55.7F) which took out 1989’s historical January low and made it the station’s coldest-ever summer temperature since its opening back in 1957 (note: slightly lower temps were posted in 1994 and 1998 but both failed quality control).
https://electroverse.co/antarctica-record-cold-utah-62f-asias-all-time-lows-stratosphere-very-cold/
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Following Monday’s -58.1C (-72.6F) –the lowest global temperature in February 2023, usurping the historically frigid -57.9C (-72.2F) logged at Oymyakon, Siberia earlier in the month– the Dome Fuji Base, Antarctica dropped even lower on Tuesday, posting a very frigid -60.2C (-76.4F) — the Southern Hemisphere’s first sub -60C of 2023.
More impressively, February at the South Pole Station averaged -41.1C (-42F), which is -0.7C below the multidecadal baseline.
This makes the past four months the second coldest Nov – Feb on record (-35.6C/-32.1F) after 1999-2000 (-36.6C/-33.9F).
[@iceman_90South]
Extreme cold (for summer) struck Antarctica in January, too, with anomalous readings well-below -40C a regular feature.
On Jan 29, the infamous Vostok Station posted a staggering 48.7C (-55.7F) — this took out 1989’s historical January low (of -48.5C/-55.3F), making it the station’s coldest-ever summer temperature since its opening back in 1957.
On Jan 30, the Italian-French Concordia Station logged -48.5C (-55.3F) — this tied the station’s lowest-ever January temperature registered just last year. Here are Concorida’s coldest Jan lows in chronological order: -48C on Jan 28, 2012; -48.3C on Jan 31, 2012; -48.5C on Jan 30, 2022; and now -48.5C on Jan 30, 2023 — a trend is emerging.
Switching back to Vostok, the month of December was also extremely frigid with the station averaging -34.1C (-29.4F) — its second-coldest final month of the year since records began (after Dec 1999).
Most tellingly, though, the South Pole Station suffered its coldest-ever coreless winter in 2021 (April-Sept), and has posted colder-than-average months ever-since with the past four months (Nov-Dec) finishing as the second-coldest on record: Nov 2022’s -40.4C (-40.7F)—coldest since 1987; Dec 2022’s -29.1C (-20.4F)—coldest since 2006; Jan 2023’s -31.3C (-24.3F)—coldest since 1995; and Feb 2023’s -41.1C (-42F)–which is -0.7C below the norm. These past four months were Antarctica’s second-coldest Nov-Dec on record.
https://electroverse.co/antarctica-chills-australias-cold-summer-frosty-europe-snows-and-lows-pound-u-s/
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Exceptionally low temperatures continue to strike the Antarctic Plateau.
Vostok recently plunged to -65.2C (-85.4F) — an incredibly very rare reading for early March.
For reference, -65.5C (-85.9F) is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere in February (again at Vostok).
https://electroverse.info/antarctic-plateau-socal-residents-help-us-australias-cool-feb-india-to-import-wheat/
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Following Vostok’s bone-chilling -65.2C (-85.4F) –an incredibly rare reading for early March– the Antarctic station chilled even further during the early hours of Monday morning, March 7, to a historic -68.1C (-90.6F).
This is suspected as being the coldest temperature ever recorded on Antarctica this early into a season. For reference, -64.7C (-84.5F) is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere in February (again at Vostok, Antartica)–although some books state -65.5C (-85.9F) as being the record Feb low.
https://electroverse.info/antarctica-coldest-temp-heavy-snow-uk-cold-and-snow-u-s-hokkaido-avalanche/
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For anyone interested here is a link to the 4 Antarctica web cam.
https://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base/webcams-weather (https://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base/webcams-weather)
Current cam capture is as below 11.31am 3rd August 2023.
(https://webmedia.antarcticanz.govt.nz/webcams/webcam32.jpg)
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Cool i mean cold haha. Jenny
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https://electroverse.info/antarctica-all-time-cold-bbc-rewrites-history-books/
The historic chill has spilled into 2023, too.
Back in March, the Antarctic continent suffered its coldest ever reading so early into a year; in July it logged Earth’s lowest temperature since 2017; and now, in mid-August, it’s breaking multiple all-time cold records at stations across the continent.
These include:
The -61.1C (-78F) at the Vito AWS, located on the Ross Ice Shelf, which broke its previous all-time minimum record of -60.6C (-77.1F) set in August 22, 2008; the -59.9C (75.8F) at Willie Field, located at Ross Island Vicinity, which bested the old benchmark of -56.9C (-70.4F) from August 7, 2001; and the -56.7C (70.1F) at Lorne, also sited on Ross Island, which felled the -54.9C (-66.8F) set on July 17, 2010.
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Scorching Earth: Unveiling the Record-Breaking Heatwave and Pursuing a Cooler Future
Elsewhere, -53.2C (-63.8F) was posted at Erin in West Antarctica, which tied the all-time record from July 16, 2010.
The AGO-4 at Vostok dropped to -81C (-113.8F), a reading not seen since 1994.
While Byrd, another automatic station in West Antarctica, recently posted -63.9C (-83F), which came within just 0.5C of the all-time low temperature record there, the -64.4C (-83.9F) set back on July 18, 1985.
Note: all data is official and comes courtesy of ANTMET.
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Antarctic expeditioners have just witnessed an incredibly rare event — ice forming on a super-salty lake 9km from the Davis research station.
According to information provided by antarctica.gov.au, the aptly named Deep Lake, located in the Vestfold Hills, is a land-locked ‘hypersaline’ lake that contains about 270 grams of salt per liter. Seawater, by comparison, contains 35 grams of salt per liter.
The lake is 36 meters (120ft) deep and sits about 50 meters (164ft) below sea level. It has no outflow, and is filled only by snowmelt and wind-driven snow. As a result, it remains extremely salty and rarely freezes.
Scientists and expeditioners have been monitoring the water level of Deep Lake since 1977, and the water temperature since 2016. This year –2023– the lake hit a record high water level in January, and a record low temperature of -18C (-0.4F) this August:
https://electroverse.info/record-cold-antarctic-lake-and-rare-ice/
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Antarctica is continuing to hold anomalously cool, as it has been for the past few months, and indeed years.
The -80.6C (-113.1F) posted at Vostok over the weekend is the continent’s lowest September reading since 2012 (-84.2C, Sept 15):
This coming off the back of the station’s coldest month of August since 2002:
https://electroverse.info/cold-antarctica-germanys-solar-fail-dr-patrick-brown-cme/
Antarctica’s September chill isn’t just confined to Vostok, either; Concordia has been holding at around -77C (-107F) for days now.
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Despite the onset of spring, fierce cold has returned to Antarctica.
Temperature readings below -70C (-94F) have swept the Antarctic Plateau this week.
On Oct 1, Concordia Station bottomed-out at a very-frigid -70.8C (-95.4F), at 20:48 UTC — a reading not too far off the station’s coldest ever temperature in the month of October.
Antarctica’s late-season freeze extended through Monday and Tuesday, too.
On Oct 3, the minimum at Vostok crashed to -73.8C (-100.8F) which, although exceptionally cold for the time of year, is a reading a ways off the station’s lowest ever October temperature: the -79.4C (-110.9F) set just two years ago, on Oct 1, 2021 (immediately after what turned out to be Antarctica’s coldest ‘coreless winter’ (April-Sept) in recorded history).
Other recent anomalous values include: AGO-4’s -70.2C (-94.4F); Dome Fuji’s -69.1C (-92.4F); and nearby Dome CII’ AWS’s -69C (-92.2F).
https://electroverse.info/weakening-gulf-stream-cold-returns-to-antarctica-uah-spike/
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October was anomalously-cold month across Antarctica, with averages ranging from -1C to -1.9C below the multidecadal norm.
The freeze has now spilled into November, too.
On Nov 1, the French–Italian research facility Concordia posted a low of -60.4C (-76.7F), which isn’t far off the station’s record monthly minimum of -62.2C (-79.9F), set on Nov 2, 2006
Antarctica is cooling, the data are clear.
https://electroverse.info/record-cold-and-snow-africa-polar-blast-antarctica-rare-november-cold-ev-fail-solar-filament-inbound/
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Antarctica’s lingering summer is becoming increasingly noteworthy.
Regular readings of below -30C and -40C at Vostock have been posted, culminating in the -42.5C (-44.5F) on Dec 27 which came close to the all-time record during the second half of December: the -43.1C (-45.6F) set Dec 16, 2011
Antarctic is cooling, the data are clear on that — discussed in more detail here:
https://electroverse.info/russias-lows-snows-china-cold-record-snow-scotland-antarcticas-frigid-ssw-event/
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Antarctica's seasonal low has again been reduced: to -71.8C (97.2F), set at Concordia during the late hours of March 28.
This is making for quicker-than-average transition to winter at the bottom of the world, following a historically cold 'summer' that included the coldest November for 40 years, the second-coldest Dec on record, and the second sub -30C January in a row.
Taking a look at the Antarctic Sea Ice, as we're down here — it's doing just fine:
With extent currently doing better 1980:
There is no cause for alarm:
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/unusually-cool-march-in-new-zealand
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Another yearly temperature low has been set on Antarctica.
On April 4, -74.2C (-101.6F) was posted by Dome Fuji AWS, besting the previous mark of -73.4C (-100.1F) set March 31 at Concordia.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/new-zealands-record-cold-march-antarctica
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Extreme cold has arrived unusually early in Antarctica this year.
Vostok, a Russian research station in inland Princess Elizabeth Land, posted a low of -80C (-112F) on April 29:
This is Vostok's first sub -80C in the month of April since April 19, 1998, and only the fourth occurrence in the operational history of the research facility (1958).
The chronology: -81.8C on April 25, 1964; -80.7C on April 24, 1981; -80.7C on April 19, 1998; and now -80C on April 29, 2024. For ref: Antarctica's lowest-ever reliable air temperature remains the -89.2C (--128.6F) set on July 21, 1983.
The bottom of the world is cooling, as evidenced by the data:
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/rare-april-cold-hits-antarctica-112f
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The global minimum for 2024 has just been nudged lower.
On July 16, the Dome Fuji AWS, Antarctica posted -82.1C (-115.8F), which is a reading not far off the station's monthly record of -82.9C (-117.2F) set on July 27, 2014.
The Relay Station AWS also hit a noteworthy -72C (97.6F) at 22:50 UTC.
Below-average readings persist at the Ross Ice Shelf and all, with Schwerdtfeger, Vito, and Margaret all approaching -60C (-76F).
Such anomalous readings continue the multi-year cooling trend documented at the bottom of the world.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-nears-july-record-low
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Antarctica has turned truly frigid this September—the continent continuing where it left off before a milder-than-average August set in.
On Sunday, the temperature in Concordia dropped to -77.1C (-106.8F). For reference, the average September low at Concordia is approximately -70C (-94F), with the coldest September temperature ever recorded being the -81.9C (-115.4F) from 2007.
Elsewhere, Dome C is also approaching -80C (-112F), with Dome A, Vostok, and the South Pole Station experiencing noteworthy lows.
[PNRA - Programma nazionale di ricerche in Antartide]
Looking ahead, the 7-10 day temperature anomalies point to more of the same:
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/cold-records-tumble-across-the-east
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https://electroverse.substack.com/p/another-colder-than-average-month
The provisional monthly average for September at the South Pole Station was -59.1C (-74.4F), which is -0.3C below average.
The media were up in arms over a mild July and August in parts of Antarctica, yet the monthly mean temperature anomalies over the past 12 months, using the 1991-2020 reference for the South Pole Station and 1958-2023 for Vostok, show consistent negative anomalies—facts these charlatans conveniently ignored.
In October, the South Pole recorded an anomaly of -1.9C, while Vostok posted -1.3C. November saw a -1.2C at the South Pole and -3C at Vostok. In December, the anomalies were -1.4C and -2.5C, respectively. January recorded anomalies of -3.2C and -2.4C, again respectively. For February, -1.3C was noted at the South Pole and -1.7C at Vostok. March saw both stations post an anomaly of -1.1C. While April saw the South Pole Station average -59.6C, which came in at -2.2C below the multidecadal baseline.
Antarctica has been cooling since reliable temperature data has been available.
The year 2021 saw an intensification of this cooling, with the South Pole registering its coldest winter on record (April – Sept) in books dating back to the 1950s. The freeze has endured ever since — the article below looks at the data in more detail:
UK Breaks Long-Standing Cold Record; Heavy Spring Snow Sweeps Northern India; Antarctica To -77C (-106.6F); + The Sea Ice Fallacy
UK Breaks Long-Standing Cold Record; Heavy Spring Snow Sweeps Northern India; Antarctica To -77C (-106.6F); + The Sea Ice Fallacy
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The coldest temperatures of the summer season have been recorded on Antarctica.
On Feb 5 at Concordia, a low of -48.5C (-55.3F) was posted. On Feb 6, Vostok came in at -47.6C (-53.7F), with AGO-4 AWS reporting -44.1C (-47.4F).
These temperatures are notably below average for the Antarctic summer. Typically, February temperatures at Concordia range around -35C (-31F), while Vostok averages near -30C (-22F).
Antarctica is cooling though, has been for decades — we know this.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/concordia-at-485c-553f-arctic-outbreak
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Temperatures continue to drop off the bottom of the world.
Several locations across Antarctica have recorded bitterly cold temperatures for the time of year.
AGO-4 AWS dropped to -60.8C (-77.4F), Dome Fuji AWS reached -62.7C (-80.9F), while Vostok took the cherry with a biting to -64.7C (-84.5F). These are extreme conditions for March, and highlight the persistent, punishing cold ravaging the continent.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/vostok-at-647c-845f-record-breaking
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Antarctica is enduring one of its coldest starts to March on record.
Taking Vostok, the early Marches of 1984 and 2023 remain the stand-outs here with the first 5 days averaging -64C (-83.2F) and -63.8C (-82.8F), respectively. But the early March of 2025 has come close, averaging approx. -62C (-79.6F).
This was aided by March 5's reading of -64.7C (-84.5F) — historically cold, but not quite a record-breaker.
This year's maximum temperatures for the first 5 days have also impressed, with March 1 coming in at -45.4C (-49.7F), March 2 at -47.9C (-54.2F), March 3 at -49C (-56.2F), March 4 at -51.6C (-60.9F), and March 5 at a biting daily max of just -52.9C (-63.2F).
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/one-of-antarcticas-coldest-early
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On March 10, Antarctica logged another seasonal low.
An anomalous -67.2C (-89.0F) was recorded at Dome Fuji AWS at 22:11 UTC. This marks one of the lowest temperatures for the time of year ever recorded on the continent.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/dome-fuji-to-672c-89f-march-blizzards
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In the early hours of March 20, Dome Fuji AWS registered -67.7C (-89.9F), marking the new seasonal low in Antarctica.
In the hours ahead, temperatures are expected to drop drop even further, potentially reaching -70C (-94F).
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/harsh-chill-sweeps-taiwan-antarctica
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Antarctica has seen fierce lows of late, with Concordia posting four sub -70C days in a row.
Vostok has joined in too, with an anomalous low of -73C (-99.4F) registered on April 1.
Winter has commenced early at the bottom of the world.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/vostok-at-73c-heavy-snow-pounds-hits
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/vostok-at-73c-heavy-snow-pounds-hits
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On April 2, Concordia Station posted another sub -70C low — for the sixth in a row.
The same day, Vostok, Antarctica reported a biting -75.4C (-103.7F), which is 0.1C shy of the season record (set at Concordia on March 31).
This is an early onset of winter at the bottom of the world, and as the sun remains increasingly below the horizon for much of the day, temperatures are only going to crash lower.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/sixth-straight-day-below-70c-rare
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On May 14, Concordia Station posted an extreme -79.1C (-110.4F) — a figure far below the average for the time of year. Temperatures below -75C (-103F) are typically reserved for the deep Antarctic winter months of June and July.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/fearco-concordia-continues-to-cool
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Winter 2025 is off to a brutal start in Antarctica.
On May 22, temperatures at Vostok Station plunged to -79.6C (-111.3F), just 2 degrees shy of the coldest May temperature ever recorded at the site (-81.8C (-115.2F) from May 28, 1980). And the mercury is still dropping.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/may-freeze-hits-the-alps-antarctica
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On July 7, Antarctica’s Vostok Station logged -78.9C (-110F) — well-below the typical July mins of around -70C (-94F).
For decades now, Antarctica —particularly the vast East Antarctic interior— has been cooling, not warming.
Satellite data (such as the UAH) shows no significant warming trend over the South Pole since records began in 1979, with many regions actually trending colder.
A 2021 study in Geophysical Research Letters confirmed that East Antarctica has cooled over recent decades. Another paper, published in Nature Climate Change, revealed the South Pole had cooled 0.1C per decade from 1979 to 2018.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/vostok-to-110f-new-study-svalbard
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On July 9, Dome Fuji plunged to -81.2C (-114.2F) and Vostok to -80.2C (-112.4F).
These well-below-average readings mark Earth’s coldest temperatures of 2025 so far.
For reference, Antarctica’s all-time record low stands at -89.2C (-128.5F), set at Vostok on July 21, 1983. In 2010, NASA satellites detected snow surface temps as low as -98.6C (-145.5F) — though not official, as this wasn’t the standard 2-meter air reading.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-below-80c-112f-relentless
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The media is back hyping Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, calling it the "most important" glacier in the world, the "riskiest" glacier, the “Doomsday Glacier,” claiming it could flood cities if it collapses. But the numbers don’t back the hysteria.
Thwaites is contributing just 0.18 mm per year to sea level rise, according to the data. At that rate, it would take over 3,000 years to hit the worst-case 65 cm (25 inch) rise. Even the most absurdly aggressive models don’t predict collapse this century.
Ice shelves crack and calve all the time. That’s normal. The subglacial terrain beneath Thwaites is rugged, with ridges that slow retreat. Its collapse isn’t inevitable, and even if the front breaks up, that doesn’t mean runaway disintegration.
The “Doomsday” label isn’t scientific—it’s clickbait.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/united-states-36f-below-average-thwaites
[news.com.au]
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Antarctica is still serving up deep winter cold — even as spring arrives.
At Concordia Station, a sequence of lows is perhaps marking the final gasp of the 2025 winter:
Sept 13: -71.4C (-96.5F)
Sept 14: -73.4C (-100.1F)
Sept 15: -74.9C (-102.8F)
Sept 16: -73.8C (-100.8F)
That -74.9C (-102.8F) is particularly frigid for this late in the season.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarcticas-late-season-freeze-arctic
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What is the polar vortex?
The term polar vortex refers to a large rotating column of cold air surrounded by powerful winds, which develops above Earth’s polar regions during the cooler months of the year. In the southern hemisphere, the polar vortex usually forms in autumn, reaches a peak strength in winter and breaks down during spring.
Image: A top-down view of the polar vortex based on long-term average shape and size in early August, using data from 1991 to 2020. This image shows the average wind speed at the 10hPa level of the atmosphere, which is about 30km above the surface.
The polar vortex extends from the surface up to the stratosphere, although meteorologists typically refer to it in two distinct sections:
The stratospheric polar vortex sits about 10 to 50 km above Earth’s surface. This section of the polar vortex is strong and typically shaped like a circle or oval. The stratospheric polar vortex does not directly affect weather near Earth’s surface.
The tropospheric polar vortex extends from the surface up to the bottom of the stratosphere, spanning the lowest 8 to 12 km of the atmosphere. The tropospheric polar vortex can directly influence weather patterns across the southern and northern hemispheres by changing the shape and behaviour of the polar jet stream.
Sudden stratospheric warming
The stratospheric polar vortex can become weakened and displaced by a phenomenon called Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW), which refers to a rapid increase in temperature in the polar stratosphere. These stratospheric warming episodes sometimes filter downwards through the atmosphere and can also disrupt the tropospheric polar vortex, causing it to weaken and change shape.
When stratospheric warming causes the tropospheric polar vortex to weaken, we usually see the polar jet stream become wavier and expand towards the equator, which allows nodes of cold air to spread away from the polar region
https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/stratospheric-warming-is-weakening-the-southern-hemispheres-polar-vortex/1890898
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A luxury cruise ship carrying roughly 200 passengers became trapped in thick Antarctic pack ice this month —in midsummer— and had to be rescued by the only heavy icebreaker the United States still has in active service.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/snow-in-japan-turns-historic-blizzard
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Antarctica is slipping into winter faster than usual.
On Feb 10, Vostok recorded -53.5C (-64.3F). The following day, Concordia fell to -53.4C (-64.1F). These are extreme values for early February, at the tail end of the Antarctic summer. While in the South Shetland Islands (located at 62S, so well north of the mainland), temperatures have been dipping below -5C (23F) — again, rare so early.
At the South Pole Station, winds have been blowing persistently from the southeast. That is not the usual February pattern. At this time of year, winds at the Pole are normally split more evenly between northeast and east.
A sustained southeast wind means air is being pulled directly from the high East Antarctic Plateau, the coldest part of the continent. That airflow acts like opening a freezer door, allowing deeply frozen interior air to spill across the rest of the continent.
Antarctica is not just cooling because the sun is dropping lower.
The wind pattern has shifted.
And the ice appears to be responding.
With Summer minimums nearing, Antarctic sea ice extent is holding strong, tracking above the long-term average (1979 to present):
[Tony Heller]
As pointed out by Tony Heller, extent has increased 20% since this date in 2006 (the year Al Gore released his sci-fi movie):
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-is-cooling-fast-one-of
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Antarctica’s deep freeze has returned early.
On March 8, temperatures at Concordia Station plunged to -60.3C (-76.5F), marking the first sub -60C (-76F) of the season.
Such extremes are not unusual for the high East Antarctic plateau, where clear skies, dry air, and long polar nights allow heat to radiate rapidly into space. As sunlight fades heading into winter, temperatures routinely plunge. Still, the -60C (-76F) threshold is typically breached later in autumn, not early March.
The reading comes as Antarctic sea ice stabilizes following the summer melt season.
According to the NSIDC, the continent’s sea ice reached its annual minimum on Feb 26 at 2.58 million km2 (996,000 square miles). That preliminary figure represents a sharp recovery from the low observed in 2023, and is close to the 1981-2010 norm.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-below-60c-as-sea-ice-stabilizes
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Antarctica is wasting no time this year.
On March 23, temperatures at Vostok Station tanked to -73.4C (-100.1F), a level more typical of the deep winter core than the opening phase of the season.
The plateau is only just entering its long cooling phase, with the most extreme lows typically reserved for May through August.
Sub -70C readings in March are uncommon.
March 19 is among the earliest such dates on record — seen in 2020 (-70.8C / -95.4F) and again this year in 2026 (-70.1C / -94.2F). A further drop to -73.4C by March 23 is very rare, and a clear sign Antarctica is locking into winter early.
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/vostok-plunges-to-734c-as-deep-cold
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https://electroverse.substack.com/i/191953633/record-cold-antarctica
Antarctica continues its early-season plunge.
On March 24, temperatures at Vostok Station fell to -75.3C (-103.5F), matching its lowest March reading on record. The same level was previously observed on March 23, 1982 and March 22, 2020.
Records at the Russian base extend back to 1958.
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Antarctica has just reset the bar for March cold.
On March 25, temperatures at Vostok Station fell to -76.4C (-105.5F), establishing a new March record for the continent.
The previous benchmark stood at -75.7C (-104.3F), recorded at Dome Fuji in 2013 (though this is considered unreliable), with other notable lows including -75.5C (-103.9F) at Plateau Station (1967) and Concordia (2025).
At Vostok itself, the prior March low was -75.3C (-103.5F), observed in 1982, 2020, and again yesterday (March 24, 2026).
Clear skies, extremely low humidity, and a stable air mass allowed for intense radiational cooling over the high Antarctic Plateau. With the sun rapidly disappearing below the horizon at this time of year, heat loss accelerates quickly.
March marks the beginning of the descent into Antarctica’s long winter phase. However, values this low are more characteristic of the deep winter core between July and August.
Antarctica is locking into winter fast this year—and has never been colder in the month of March (observations back to ~1957).
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-sets-new-march-cold-record has just reset the bar for March cold.
On March 25, temperatures at Vostok Station fell to -76.4C (-105.5F), establishing a new March record for the continent.
The previous benchmark stood at -75.7C (-104.3F), recorded at Dome Fuji in 2013 (though this is considered unreliable), with other notable lows including -75.5C (-103.9F) at Plateau Station (1967) and Concordia (2025).
At Vostok itself, the prior March low was -75.3C (-103.5F), observed in 1982, 2020, and again yesterday (March 24, 2026).
Clear skies, extremely low humidity, and a stable air mass allowed for intense radiational cooling over the high Antarctic Plateau. With the sun rapidly disappearing below the horizon at this time of year, heat loss accelerates quickly.
March marks the beginning of the descent into Antarctica’s long winter phase. However, values this low are more characteristic of the deep winter core between July and August.
Antarctica is locking into winter fast this year—and has never been colder in the month of March (observations back to ~1957).
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/antarctica-sets-new-march-cold-record