Arctic Records Hottest Year as Scientists Warn Winter Is Being Redefined
Arctic Records Hottest Year as Scientists Warn Winter Is Being Redefined
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The Arctic experienced a year of record-breaking heat and shrinking sea ice from October 2024 to September 2025, according to The Guardian citing the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The statement raises concerns that climate change is fundamentally altering winter conditions in the region.
NOAA said temperatures across the Arctic were the highest in 125 years of records, with the past decade marking the 10 warmest years on record. Scientists report the Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the global average, driven largely by fossil fuel emissions.
Sea ice levels continued to decline, with the maximum ice extent in 2025 reaching the lowest point in the 47-year satellite record. The region’s oldest and thickest ice has decreased by more than 95 percent since the 1980s. Arctic precipitation also reached record levels, much of it falling as rain rather than snow, while June snow cover is now half of what it was 60 years ago.
Researchers say unusual warmth is increasingly evident during winter, disrupting the seasonal growth of sea ice. Rainfall in winter months is becoming more common, altering ecosystems and creating hazardous conditions for communities and wildlife.
NOAA also reported that Greenland’s ice sheet lost an estimated 129 billion tons of ice in 2025, contributing to global sea level rise. Scientists warn that changes in the Arctic have cascading effects worldwide, including rising sea levels and disruptions to fisheries and weather systems.
