Siberian heatwave: Wildfires rage in Arctic, sea ice melts

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. weather agency is warning that average temperatures in Siberia came in 10 degrees Celsius (18 Fahrenheit) above average last month, a spate of exceptional heat that has fanned devastating fires in the Arctic Circle. The high heat has also contributed to the rapid depletion of ice sea coverage off the Russian Arctic coast. World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the Arctic is heating more than twice as fast as the global average. WMO says the extended heat is linked to a large “blocking pressure system” and northward swing of the jet stream. But he says research indicates it would have been nearly impossible without human-induced climate change.