Not falling snow but rain. This was observed on August 14 by the National snow and ice data center (NSIDC), in addition to abnormally high temperatures in a study published Wednesday. It rained for a total of nine hours, with temperatures above zero degrees. This is the third time in less than ten years that this summit, at an altitude of 3,216 m, has seen temperatures exceed the freezing point, that is to say at the limit where snow forms. But this is the first time that real rain, and not some kind of sleet, has been recorded since the installation of a weather station.
With this above-normal heat episode, "the extent of the melt peaked at 872,000 square kilometers on August 14, dropping to 754,000 square kilometers from the 15,000 and 512,000 square kilometers on August 16," explains the NSIDC.
Only 2,012 and 2,021 experienced more than an 800,000 square km melting event, again according to the NSIDC.
“Above-freezing temperatures and precipitation became widespread in southern and western Greenland over the three-day period (August 14-16), with exceptional readings from several remote weather stations in the region. ”, Details the NSIDC in its study.
Already in mid-July, Greenland experienced a heat wave that caused massive ice melting.