Climatological Characteristics of Winter 2025/2026 on Earth

Winter 2025/2026 on the planet became another striking example of ongoing global climatic changes. Meteorologists and climatologists note that the season was characterized by pronounced heat anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere and an intensification of extreme weather phenomena, in line with long-term trends predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In the Northern Hemisphere, winter 2025/2026 entered the top ten warmest winters in history. The average temperature exceeded the norm by 1.2–1.5°C. This was especially pronounced in the Arctic, where temperatures in some periods were 6–8°C above the climatic norm. 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 of the last century.

Europe's winter was characterized by instability: relatively mild periods were replaced by sharp, but short-lived intrusions of Arctic air. For example, in February, a powerful stratospheric sudden warming led to the temporary destruction 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 snowfall for 50 years, while in Helsinki the temperature rarely fell below -5°C.

North America faced a series of powerful atmospheric rivers – narrow streams of very moist air from the tropics. They dumped a record amount of precipitation on the western 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 snowless, with repeated waves of warmth.

On the contrary, winter was extremely cold in some regions of Asia. Atmospheric pressure anomalies associated with the fluctuation of the Arctic brought sustained cold in the eastern areas of 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 "sneak" further south, as observed in 2026.

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

An interesting example: In winter 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 around or above freezing, and precipitation falls mainly as rain rather than snow. This directly threatens water resources accumulated in the snow cover, which are critically important for agriculture and hydropower in spring and summer.

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