Hot poles: Antarctica, Arctic 70 and 50 degrees above normal

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

Parts of Antarctica Friday hit 70 degrees warmer than normal. At the same time parts of the Arctic were 50 degrees warmer than normal. Scientists are stunned. They say on both poles there was melting or near melting when it shouldn’t have been happening. They say what’s happening in Antarctica, where records were smashed, is probably a freak weather event not climate change. Unless it happens again. Antarctica just hit a record low for sea ice a few weeks ago. The Arctic has been warming much faster than the rest of the globe.