Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low Winter Maximum

0:00It's March 28th. Welcome to U.S. News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with the story. Arctic sea ice has hit its winter maximum at one of the lowest points on record. Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center say it peaked on March 15th at about 14,500,000 square kilometers or 5,500,000 square miles. That ties with the smallest extent since satellites started tracking in 1979. This reading continues a steady downward trend over decades. It's well below the average from 1981 to 2010, setting up warmer months with even less ice cover from the start. Less ice means the ocean absorbs more sunlight, which ramps up regional warming. Sea ice normally reflects heat away, so this low point speeds things along for the melt season ahead. Meanwhile, parts of North America saw a record March heat, with places like Yuma, Arizona, hitting 109 degrees Fahrenheit on March 20th.

1:01Similar highs popped up in Mexico, Australia, Northern Africa, and Northern Europe. Experts note weather patterns will still shape the summer melt, so a record low isn't certain yet. But the big picture shows human-driven climate change, making these extremes far more likely as we head into melt season.