Verkhoyansk, north of the Arctic Circle in northeastern Siberia, registered a daily high of 100.4 degrees on Saturday. If verified, this would be the northernmost 100-degree reading and highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic. Wildfires are accelerating the melting of permafrost, releasing more warming CO2 gases into the atmosphere. Verkhoyansk is located at 67 degrees north latitude. A warning sign?
Canada provides sweet relief through midweek as a nagging whirlpool of chilly air aloft fires off instability showers late this afternoon.
Temperatures mellow later this week, with the next round of widespread showers and storms scheduled for Thursday evening into Friday. Skies should clear Saturday, with another hot jab of 90s next week. Long-range models hint at slight relief by July 4th, but there's little doubt this will be a long, hot summer.
Weird weather: Saharan dust is being swept across the Atlantic Ocean by trade winds, dropping visibilities down to 3 miles on some Caribbean islands!
