---
title: "Record warming in Antarctica: air near the Academic Vernadsky station heated up by almost 10 degrees in two and a half hours"
description: "Ukrainian polar explorers near the Academic Vernadsky station recorded a record October temperature of +11.1°C: the air warmed by almost 10 degrees in two and a half hours due to a mountain Foehn wind."
date: 2026-10-27T14:13:13.932Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/record-warming-antarctica-academic-vernadsky-station
tags: [antarctica, climate-change, ukraine, polar-research, temperature-record, foehn-wind]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Record warming in Antarctica: air near the Academic Vernadsky station heated up by almost 10 degrees in two and a half hours

![The blue building of the Ukrainian Antarctic station Academic Vernadsky under a dramatic dark sky surrounded by snow-covered mountains of Antarctica.](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/27/rekordnoe-poteplenie-v-antarktide-u-stantsii-akademik-vernadskiy/rekordnoe-poteplenie-v-antarktide-u-stantsii-akademik-vernadskiy-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Near the Academic Vernadsky station on the evening of October 18, a record-high October temperature of +11.1°C was registered — the highest for all years of observation.
- The temperature rose from +1.2°C to +11.1°C (almost 10 degrees) in just two and a half hours.
- Experts attribute the anomaly to a mountain Foehn wind intensified by an “atmospheric river” — a humid stream from the tropics.
- Simultaneously with the warming, lenticular clouds and dark clouds with precipitation were observed over the mountains.

Ukrainian polar explorers working near the Vernadsky Research Base (Galindez Island) have recorded an all-time temperature record for October. According to the National Antarctic Scientific Center (NASC), published on its official Facebook page and reported by RBC-Ukraine, the recorded figure became the highest for all years of observations in this month. The anomaly occurred on the evening of October 18: the air temperature rose from +1.2°C to +11.1°C — an increase of almost 10 degrees in just two and a half hours.

### Historical October maximum and its place in the general scale

The new figure surpassed the previous October record set at the station earlier. At the same time, NASC emphasizes that the absolute highest temperature ever recorded by Ukrainian scientists near Vernadsky is +12.7°C — this maximum was registered in February 2022. Specialists note that the difference between the general and October maximums is small, only 1.6°C. “However, it should be taken into account that we are talking about different seasons,” stated Denys Pyshniak, head of the Department of Atmospheric and Geospace Physics at NASC, explaining that February is “the height of the Antarctic summer,” whereas October is merely “the beginning of spring.”

### The mechanism of the anomaly: the mountain Foehn wind

According to experts, the cause of the sudden warming was the so-called “mountain Foehn” — a dry, warm wind from the mountains. This effect occurs when a flow of warm and moist air rises over a mountain ridge: in the area of the station, these are the peaks of the Kyiv Peninsula, opposite which Galindez Island and the Vernadsky station are located. As it rises, the air loses moisture, forming clouds and precipitation, while heat is released during condensation. Having overcome the peak, the flow descends, compresses, and heats up additionally. “This creates a warm, dry stream that leads to a sharp increase in temperature and the melting of glaciers,” NASC explained. In general, Foehn winds are a typical phenomenon for this area of Antarctica.

### The “atmospheric river” and the context of climate change

Experts link the intensification of the Foehn wind this time with another meteorological phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river.” These are narrow bands with a high concentration of atmospheric moisture which, according to specialists, have increasingly penetrated from the tropics into polar regions in recent years, carrying large amounts of warm, moist air. NASC points out that this is one of the consequences of climate change actively studied by the center's scientists. Thus, the coincidence of the region's typical mountain Foehn with an abnormally humid stream produced a cumulative effect, leading to a record temperature spike.

### Visual confirmation: lenticular clouds and dark storm clouds

Simultaneously with the warming, the center's meteorologists observed lenticular clouds over the mountains, which specialists note are frequent companions of mountain Foehns, forming from the moisture that the air stream loses at the mountain peak. The published photographs also show the source of extreme heat — dark clouds over the mountains from which, according to NASC estimates, heavy precipitation was likely falling at that moment. These observations visually confirm the described mechanism: the condensation of moisture on the windward side of the ridge and the subsequent dry, heated descent of the flow on the station's side.

### Context: station operations and the Noosphere research vessel

The recorded anomaly became part of Ukraine's ongoing scientific research activities in Antarctica. It was previously reported that the Ukrainian research vessel Noosphere has begun its sixth Antarctic season, aiming to expand the geography of research and international cooperation. Data on temperature, humidity, and cloud cover collected by polar explorers near Vernadsky, including during such anomalies, are used to study climate dynamics in polar regions.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Аномалия в Антарктике: украинские полярники зафиксировали исторический температурный рекорд](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/anomaliya-antarktitsi-ukrayinski-polyarniki-1793100649.html) - Primary source: NASC press service publication on Facebook. Confirms the +11.1°C October record, the jump from +1.2°C in 2.5 hours, the overall maximum of +12.7°C (February 2022), explanation via mountain Foehn and atmospheric river, and observation of lenticular clouds. Quote by D. Pyshniak.
- [Украинские полярники показали "блинный лед" в Антарктике. Фото](https://www.obozrevatel.com/novosti-obschestvo/ukrainskie-polyarniki-pokazali-blinnyij-led-v-antarktike-foto.htm) - Contextual source: confirms polar explorer activities at the station and natural phenomena logging, but refers to a different phenomenon («pancake ice») unrelated to the temperature record.
- [Украинские полярники запечатлели, как Антарктика "выпекает" снежные пончики (фото)](https://www.unian.net/ecology/stanciya-akademik-vernadskiy-polyarniki-zafiksirovali-snezhnye-ponchiki-v-antarktike-13494921.html) - Contextual source: confirms the location (Galindez Island, Academic Vernadsky station) and NASC work, but describes a different phenomenon («snow donuts») unrelated to the October temperature record.

## FAQ

### What temperature was recorded near the Academic Vernadsky station?

On the evening of October 18, the air temperature rose from +1.2°C to +11.1°C, setting a record for October across all years of observation.

### How long did the warming take?

The jump from +1.2°C to +11.1°C — almost 10 degrees — occurred in just two and a half hours.

### What caused the sharp warming?

According to NASC, the cause was a mountain Foehn (a dry, warm wind from the mountains of the Kyiv Peninsula), likely intensified by an “atmospheric river” carrying humid air from the tropics.

### What is the overall temperature maximum in the station's area?

The highest temperature ever recorded by Ukrainian scientists near the station is +12.7°C, registered in February 2022. The difference with the new October maximum is 1.6°C.