A new era of extreme weather events in the Arctic

News from Members
07 January 2026

Extreme weather events can greatly affect Arctic nature, but long-term changes in these events have not previously been well understood. A new study shows that extreme weather events have become significantly more common in the Arctic over recent decades.

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Close-up of frost-covered plants with brown buds and twisted stems, surrounded by patches of grass and a blurred background.
Cassiope tetragona killed by a rain-on-snow event.
Photo: R Treharne.

The Arctic has been observed to warm about three to four times faster than the global average. This rapid warming is also expected to change the frequency and severity of extreme weather events in the region. A new study published in the prestigious scientific journal Science Advances is the first to comprehensively examine long-term changes in several so-called bioclimatic variables. Bioclimate refers to climate conditions relevant to living organisms. The researchers investigated changes spanning more than seven decades, focusing especially on short-lived extreme weather events.

“Seasonality, such as the growing season and snow conditions, is known to be crucial for ecosystem functioning and the success of northern species. However, changes in bioclimatic extreme events have not been previously studied in a comprehensive way,” says research professor Juha Aalto from the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

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