Siberia, known for being the coldest inhabited place on earth (having reached a record -71.2°C in the village of Oymyakon in 1924) is currently facing an unprecedented heatwave.
Over the past months, the Russian province has recorded unusually high temperatures, with Nizhnyaya Pesha hitting 30°C on June 9 and Khatanga, which usually has daytime temperatures of around 0°C at this time of year, hitting 25°C on May 22, reports The Guardian.
According to the BBC, a study done by climate scientists with the UK Met Office shows these record temperatures were likely to happen less than once every 80,000 years without human-induced climate change.
Meanwhile, wildfires continue to rage in Yakutia in the northeast of Siberia and local news outlets have called to the public for help.
Residents in the village of Svatay in the extreme north of Yakutia are surrounded by flames, and are building wide strips of mineral soil to prevent the fire from reaching the village, reports The Siberian Times.
‘Currently the situation in Svatay is out of control’, said reporters of Srednekolymsk24. ‘Reports from Svatay are alike to news from the frontline, with the fight against the wildfires continuing day and night.
‘Firefighting equipment is giving up with three pumps breaking down. Locals need 20 more firefighting back packs and sleeves, and more support’, said Sakha News.
Calls for help from Arctic village of Svatay caged by wildfires. Russia’s coldest region struggles to tame fires intensified by lengthy heatwave in extreme north https://t.co/GE0l20MMMb pic.twitter.com/8wZ3Y9Oqb5
— The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) July 27, 2020
Helicopter pilot Timur Fatkulov: ‘It’s impossible to breath in Yakutsk because of wildfires smoke that blanketed it… good we have masks and eye protection on during medical flights, they help with smoke, too’ #wildfires2020Russia pic.twitter.com/09uTH17LT2
— The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) August 3, 2020
Wildfires in Siberian Arctic around Yakutsk Aug 01 by NASA worldview pic.twitter.com/0RLCjif06I
— Wolfgang Muehle (@dermuehle) August 2, 2020
Wildfires Scorch The Arctic As Siberian Heatwave Rages https://t.co/ISvVBk6OXs pic.twitter.com/duEexiCCXR
— Lisa Williams Ⓥ (@MsLisaWilliams) July 25, 2020
Image credit: Twitter/MsLisaWilliams
