In general, the Arctic is warmer, with temperatures typically between -43 and 5 degrees C (-45 and 41 degrees F), with temperatures up to 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) along the coast in the summer. The Antarctic is much colder, holding the world record of -89.2 degrees C (-128.6 degrees F) for the coldest temperature recorded on Earth in 1983! More typically, temperatures reach about -80 degrees C (-112 degrees F) in the interior in the winter, to between 5 degrees C (41 degrees F) and 15 degrees C (59 degrees F) along the coast in the summer.
While these temperatures might seem extremely cold, that’s what’s normal. However, especially in the Arctic, new record high temperatures are being recorded. And this warming trend is greater than the normal variability.