Longyearbyen Temps 9.3C Above Normal; Ocean Ice-Free N. Of Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya In January

[hatrack]

EDIT

Located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole you should think it is freezing cold now in January. So not. Friday’s temperature was 1 degrees above freezing.

Average temperature over the last 30 days was minus 5,8 °C, 9,3 °C above the normal, according to the weather data statistics for Longyearbyen made by the Norwegian Metrological Institute.

Earlier in January, BarentsObserver reported about exceptionally little ice in the northern- and northeastern part of the Barents Sea, with ice-free waters even north of the two archipelagoes Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya.

EDIT/END

http://www.barentsobserver.com/longyearbyen-heats-up.5013888-116321.html

Graphic assistance through the National Ice Center - cool zoomable map, but it'll take a minute to load:

http://www.natice.noaa.gov/products/products_on_demand.html