- The northernmost settlement on Earth experienced a record heatwave on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching an unprecedented 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Alert, Canada, which is 500 miles from the North Pole, hadn't ever experienced temperatures in the 70s.
- The average July temperature for the settlement is 41 degrees.
- Scientists were concerned when news of the Arctic heatwave broke, and one even compared it to New York City reaching 111 degrees
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Alert, Canada — the northernmost settlement on Earth — experienced a record heatwave on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching "unprecedented" 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to the Daily Mail, this was the first time the settlement had reached 70 degrees. The average July temperature for Alert, which is only 500 miles away from the North Pole, is usually about 41 degrees.
"It's really quite spectacular," said David Phillips, Environment Canada's chief climatologist, said to Canadian channel CBC of the so-called Arctic heatwave.
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"This is unprecedented," he added.
CBC reports that summer temperature records have been rising at an alarming rate.
"That's what we're seeing more often," Phillips told CBC.
"It's not just half a degree or a 10th of a millimeter. It's like hitting a ball out of the ballpark. It is so different than what the previous record was."
The Daily Mail says that Phillips compared the Arctic heatwave in Canada earlier this week to New York City reaching 111 degrees.
New York City, along with much of the United States, has been in the midst of an intense heat wave the past few days.
The expected temperatures in New York were so high for Saturday and Sunday that many outdoor activities, including a triathlon and cultural festival, were canceled.
- Read more:
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- The dangerous heat wave sweeping the US isn't just high temperatures. Heat index is all about how you sweat.
