Climate Characteristics of the 2025/2026 Winter on Earth

The winter of 2025/2026 on Earth became yet another vivid illustration of ongoing global climate change. Meteorologists and climatologists note that the season was characterized by pronounced heat anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere and an increase in extreme weather phenomena, in line with long-term trends predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter of 2025/2026 entered the top ten warmest winters on record. The average temperature exceeded the norm by 1.2–1.5°C. This was particularly evident in the Arctic, where temperatures were above the climatic norm by 6–8°C in some periods. The record reduction in sea ice area in the Barents and Kara Seas continued, affecting atmospheric circulation over Eurasia. An interesting fact: in January 2026, a Norwegian research vessel recorded rain at a point located just 800 km from the North Pole – a phenomenon almost impossible for a typical Arctic winter in the last century.

Winter in Europe was marked by instability: relatively mild periods were replaced by sharp, but short-lived intrusions of Arctic air. For example, in February, a powerful sudden stratospheric warming led to the temporary breakdown of the polar vortex. This caused extreme cold and heavy snowfall in Central and Southern Europe, while Scandinavia remained abnormally warm. For instance, Rome experienced a record amount of snow in 50 years, while temperatures in Helsinki rarely fell below -5°C.

North America faced a series of powerful atmospheric rivers – narrow streams of very moist air from the tropics. They brought a record amount of precipitation to the west coast of the United States and Canada, causing floods and landslides. Meanwhile, on the east coast of the continent, especially in New York and Boston, winter was mild and snowy with repeated waves of warmth.

In contrast, winter was extremely cold in some regions of Asia. Atmospheric pressure anomalies associated with Arctic fluctuations brought sustained cold to eastern Siberia and Mongolia, where temperatures repeatedly fell below -50°C. Paradoxically, the intensification of warming in the Arctic often weakens the westerly transport and allows cold air to "leak" further south, as observed in 2026.

In the Southern Hemisphere, summer also marked climatic extremes. In Australia, waves of intense heat with temperatures above +45°C recurred, exacerbating massive forest fires. In South America, the Andes continued to see rapid melting of glaciers, and the Amazon experienced the strongest drought in 20 years.

An interesting example: During the winter of 2026, climatologists for the first time clearly documented the phenomenon of "snow droughts" in key mountain systems such as the Alps and the Rocky Mountains. These are periods when temperatures remain near or above freezing, and precipitation falls mainly as rain rather than snow. This directly threatens water resources stored in the snowpack, which are critically important for agriculture and hydroelectric power in spring and summer.

Scientists link the characteristics of the 2025/2026 winter to a combination of long-term anthropogenic climate change and natural cycles such as El Niño/La Niña. The influence of the latter was moderate, allowing the background trend of global warming to become more pronounced.

Thus, the winter of 2025/2026 was not just a warm season but a demonstration of a new climate reality: an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events, a restructuring of atmospheric circulation, and an intensification of regional contrasts. These changes are systemic and require adaptation of infrastructure, economy, and social practices worldwide. Each subsequent anomalous winter, like this one, serves as a reminder of the non-linearity of climate processes and the accelerating transformation of weather patterns on Earth.

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