Record Antarctic Warmth Delights Australian Crew

The staff at Australia's Casey Antarctic research station enjoyed a brief, record warm spell in the midst of a brutal southern winter.

Scientists at Australia’s Casey Antarctic station say they recorded some of the warmest July weather on record earlier this month at the site.

Researchers told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that after weeks of blizzards, they received a few days of relative warmth.

But that meant maximum temperatures still reached only 36 degrees Fahrenheit with lows dipping to 27 degrees at the height of the warm wave.

Those readings are the warmest for the month since record keeping began at Casey station 20 years ago.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Steve Pendlebury told ABC News Australia that once-in-a-decade wind patterns are the likely cause of the balmy July Antarctic weather.

"The air from the central Indian Ocean east of Africa somewhere, has moved all the way down right onto the Antarctic coast," he said.

Currently in the depth of the southern winter, Casey receives only about 5 hours of sun each day.

Much colder temperatures accompanied by occasional blizzard conditions returned soon after the record warmth ended.

Photo: D. Ross - Australian Antarctic Division