Temperatures Incomprehensibly High
According to Russian officials, more than 2,270 firefighters are taking on 187 active wildfires in Siberia. Heat gripping the region has played a role in making them worse. In June of this year, European Space Agency satellites recorded ajaw-dropping ground temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia—hot enough to suggest that the area’s permafrost, which contains huge amounts of methane trapped in it, is in very serious trouble.
Areas above the Arctic Circle also saw freak heat in May and it continued into June. Last month, a large portion of central and northeastern Siberia averaged up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit (6.7 degrees Celsius) hotter than normal, according to data from NASA. That has helped give flames the fuel they need to burn the region over.
