The Arctic Still Isn't Cooling Off, and Recent Temperature Readings Are Mind-Blowing

Arctic temperatures remain bizarrely high in what has been a prolonged blast of relative warmth, which has been confirmed by Greenland's northernmost weather station.

Temperatures have spiked to more than 40 degrees warmer than average during the most recent "heat wave," which halted sea ice growth in some areas of the Arctic, according to Earther. The Danish Meteorological Service said temperatures on the evening of Feb. 18 warmed 39 degrees in four hours at the Greenland weather station and then remained warmer than freezing through Feb. 20, the report added.

Sea ice had already been trending far below the 1981-2010 median amount, but now, it has dipped to record low levels at times in 2018. It's far from a slight tick below average – the Arctic would need to have 525,000 square miles of ice added to get back to normal.

Parts of Alaska's North Slope are also trending 40 degrees or more above average as that region of the state bakes in unusual warmth. According to Inside Climate News, the Bering Sea just lost a third of its ice in eight days.