Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of winter being redefined'

"The Arctic endured a year of record heat and shrunken sea ice as the world's northern latitudes continue a rapid shift to becoming rainier and less ice-bound due to the climate crisis, scientists have reported. From October 2024 to September 2025, temperatures across the entire Arctic region were the hottest in 125 years of modern record keeping, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said, with the last 10 years being the 10 warmest on record in the Arctic."

"A line chart showing that the current extent of ice in the Arctic sea is lowest on record This year was the warmest on record and had the most precipitation on record to see both of those things happen in one year is remarkable, said Matthew Langdon Druckenmiller, an Arctic scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado and an editor of the Arctic report card."

From October 2024 to September 2025, Arctic temperatures were the hottest in 125 years of modern records and the last decade contains the 10 warmest years. The region is warming up to four times faster than the global average because of burning fossil fuels, disrupting the Arctic's role as a key climate regulator. The maximum sea ice extent in 2025 was the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, and the oldest, thickest ice has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s. Precipitation reached record highs while June snow cover is half of what it was six decades ago, and anomalous winter warmth is now reducing annual sea-ice growth.

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