Antarctica: Concordia reports –84.1 °C

In the midst of the Antarctic polar night, the Franco-Italian Concordia research station recorded an extraordinary low temperature. On 18 July 2026, the air temperature dropped to minus 84.1 degrees Celsius – the lowest reading recorded at a weather station anywhere in the world since 2012. However, the official world record for the coldest temperature remains the figure of minus 89.2 degrees Celsius measured at the Russian Vostok Station in 1983.

Whilst large parts of Europe and North America were suffering from a heatwave, ideal conditions for extreme cold prevailed on the Dome C ice plateau, at an altitude of around 3,200 metres. During the polar night, which lasts for months, no sunlight reaches the surface. At the same time, the air above the Antarctic ice sheet is exceptionally dry. Under a cloudless sky, the remaining heat can radiate into space almost unimpeded – a process further intensified by the high altitude of East Antarctica.

The measurement was taken at the Concordia Station, jointly operated by France and Italy. In the early morning of 18 July 2026, the record low of minus 84.1 degrees Celsius was recorded twice within just nine minutes. Whilst temperatures below minus 80 degrees are not unusual at Concordia during the height of winter, readings below minus 84 degrees are considered rare events even there.

This exceptional cold snap is not at odds with global warming. Rather, it demonstrates that, under certain weather conditions, extreme local temperature lows can still occur over the Antarctic high plateau. Such measurements are particularly valuable for climate research, as they help to test and improve weather and climate models under the most extreme conditions on Earth.

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal