--- title: Storm May Raise North Pole Temperature 50 Degrees description: Storms brewing in the North Atlantic might heat up the Arctic. canonical: https://time.com/4164104/north-pole-temperature-heat/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-30T15:46:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T21:20:19.000Z article:section: Science og:title: Storm May Raise North Pole Temperature 50 Degrees og:description: Storms brewing in the North Atlantic might heat up the Arctic. og:url: https://time.com/4164104/north-pole-temperature-heat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt25cfe0fd2b9763f3/6988772bf887dc05a4e93ef8/icey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3884 og:image:height: 2185 og:image:alt: 123523802 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Storm May Raise North Pole Temperature 50 Degrees twitter:description: Storms brewing in the North Atlantic might heat up the Arctic. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt25cfe0fd2b9763f3/6988772bf887dc05a4e93ef8/icey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # North Pole Set to Unfreeze as Temperature Soars > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=462f0d8d-7f66-4d36-84c5-c1f93d0476aa&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Kiribati: See Life on the Front Lines of Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): Kiribati: See Life on the Front Lines of Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mQPqsfCg.m3u8) (3:10)  _Published 2015-12-10. The island nation of Kiribati, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is a touch of paradise. But thie way of life is under threat. Climate change could spell doom to the Pacific island's very existence._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:20 PM UTCPublished: Dec 30, 2015 3:46 PM UTC  Icescape at Geographic North Pole, Arctic Ocean Icescape at Geographic North Pole, Arctic Ocean Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:20 PM UTCPublished: Dec 30, 2015 3:46 PM UTC **Correction appended** Stormy weather in the North Atlantic is set to bring balmy weather to the world’s northernmost point. Temperatures at the North Pole could hit 40 degrees, [according to Discovery News](http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/huge-storm-may-raise-north-pole-temps-50-degrees-151229.htm), which would be about 50 degrees higher than average for this time of year. Storms over Iceland and Greenland, fairly common in winter, are pushing warmer air to the Arctic region. Fluctuations in temperature are actually not uncommon in the Arctic region, [Mashable reports](http://mashable.com/2015/12/28/freak-atlantic-storm-uk-frank/#MkeucxvdWaqU), but a 50 to 60 degree shift would be very notable. There have reportedly only been three other times since 1948 that temperatures in the North Pole have hit or risen above freezing in December. These high temperatures could impact sea ice formations that are already at historic lows in other seasons. _This article originally misidentified a temperature reading as belonging to the North Pole._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The island nation of Kiribati, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is a touch of paradise. 33 atolls and reef islands where people live like they have for centuries. All necessities can be found in the nature. No need for money. No social classes. Plenty of time to play. But this way of life is under threat. Climate change could spell doom to Kariba's very existence. The fragile ecosystems of the reefs are becoming badly damaged by the warmer and more acidic ocean. The rising sea level has depleted the soil so crops can hardly grow and salt water has polluted the drinking water. An increasing number of people are seeking their fortunes in the capital, Tarawa. Over crowding forced people to settle on the beach, where they are even more vulnerable to the increasingly frequent extreme tides. Flooding has become a part of everyday life. Well I have this fear in me now seeing all the floods. You used to have like, I want to say [ INAUDIBLE ], but since the [ INAUDIBLE ] it's like living in two or three months time. We have this high sea level. Now we think that it's it not just from the seaside. It's coming mostly from the land and from all other sides. So it's becoming a real concern. According to the United Nations panel on climate change, the sea level rises by three millimeters every year. For [ UNKNOWN ] one of the lowest lying nations in the world, that's enough to put climate change on top of the national agenda. I know there's a lot of speculation and a lot of skepticism about the issue of climate change in the In the international arena. But for us here in Caribas it's a cross [ UNKNOWN ] issue. And meaning that it affects all areas. Within less than half a century the countries will be under water. We can look at it from another perspective as a [ UNKNOWN ] or tsunami. [ NOISE ] The government of Jerabus is building sea walls and planting mangrove trees to protect the land. But it's also preparing to lose the battle against the sea. Among other strategies the government has bought land 1300 miles away on Fiji where it could evacuate the entire population if worse came to worst. Inhabitants are already reluctantly getting used to the thought of abandoning their motherland. I really don't know how my grandchildren will be in that day. Will they give up? I know that they will move from here. But I do know where too. Are you sad that they will may not live in Kidavas. I am not sad because they are moving away from their country which is no more. Until then, it's an anxious wait. In what might become a paradise lost. 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