Tuesday’s 63.5°F (17.5°C) broke Antarctica’s previous record of 63.3°F, recorded just a day earlier, which itself topped the previous high of 59°F, recorded in 1974.
The new record high was noted at Argentina’s Esperanza Base at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, known to be one of the fastest warming spots on Earth. Monday’s record was observed at Marambio Base, about 60 miles away.
Weather forecasting site Weather Underground’s historian Christopher Burt noted the significance of the temperature rise at both bases which, in the span of two days, exceeded any figure recorded over the last fifty years.
Antarctica is not the only place that’s announced record highs so far this year. Five nations or territories have set new record highs in the first three months of 2015. In fact, according to Weather Underground, 46 nations have set or tied new heat records (and four have set an all-time low) since 2010.
The average high temperature in March for Antarctica is 31.3°F.
