Argentina’s National Meteorological Service announced in a tweet on Thursday, Feb. 6, that it had recorded a record-breaking high temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius — 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit — at the Esperanza research base in Antarctica.
The tweet said the previous record was set in March 2015, a temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius, or 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
The National Meteorological Service of Argentina has been recording temperatures in Antarctica since 1961.
Temperatures in the area usually range from 14 degrees Fahrenheit to minus-76 degrees Fahrenheit, The New York Times reports.
The record high temperature is likely due to something called a “foehn,” which is defined as “a rapid warming of air coming down a slope/mountain,” Randall Cerveny, an official with the World Meteorological Organization, explained in a press release on Friday.
According to The Washington Post, “foehn” winds are caused by changes in air pressure.
Ohio State University climate researcher David Bromwich told the Washington Post he doesn’t think the record temperature is an indicator of climate change in the Antarctic, calling it a “one time extreme event.”
Despite the “foehn” phenomenon being the cause for the high temperature, research still shows that Antarctica is an area for concern, according to CNBC.
“Research shows that Antarctica’s glaciers are rapidly melting as the planet warms, releasing enough water to significantly raise global sea levels,” according to CNBC.