Greenland records warmest January in over century

Greenland’s west coast has experienced unprecedented warmth, with the capital, Nuuk, recording its highest-ever January temperature, surpassing a 109-year-old record, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) confirmed.

While Europe and North America faced a January cold snap, Nuuk registered an average monthly temperature of 0.1°C (32°F)—7.8 °C above the three-decade January average. This marks 1.4°C higher than the previous record set in 1917. On the warmest day of the month, temperatures in Nuuk soared to 11.3°C.

The heat extended across more than 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) of Greenland’s west coast. In Ilulissat, located in Disko Bay, the January average reached –1.6°C, exceeding the 1929 record by 1.3°C and rising 11°C above the long-term average for the month.

“Warmer air occasionally sweeps over Greenland, bringing milder temperatures for a day or two, but such an extended heat record across such a large area is a clear indication that something is changing,” said DMI climate researcher Martin Olesen.

Olesen added, “We know and can clearly see that global warming is well underway, which, as expected, leads to more records at the warm end of the temperature scale and gradually fewer records at the low end.”

The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to climate change, warming approximately four times faster than the global average since 1979, according to a 2022 study published in Nature. Scientists warn that continued monitoring is essential, as Greenland’s winter temperatures may set additional historic highs in the coming months.

By Vafa Guliyeva