While Denmark – like other parts of Scandinavia has experienced the coldest beginning of the year in a long time Greenland has experienced the warmest January on record.
Denmark has not experienced such a cold January in 16 years according to the Danish Meteorological Agency (DMI).
The average temperature for the month was minus 0.6 degrees Celsius or 2.2 degrees colder than normal.
Cold in Copenhagen – mild in Nuuk
At the same time the temperature in Nuuk the captital of Greenland has reached as high as +11 C in January. The average temperature in January was slightly a above zero , +0.2C, and largely surpassed the 1991-2020 average of -7.7C.
Indeed, globally, January 2026 was the fifth warmest on record, according to WMO, the World Meteorological Organization. However, the Northern Hemisphere experienced severe cold waves as a meandering polar jet stream spilled icy air into Europe and North America. Europe had its coldest January since 2010.
Memories of minus 30C
In neighbouring Iceland, hardly any snow has been recorded in the capital Reykjavik, since mid-December. The average temperature in January was 0.7 C above the average of the past ten years. In addition, January 2026 was the coldest month in Norway since 2010. The average temperature across the country was 4.4 C below normal.
“I have memories of minus 30 C in Nuuk and roads blocked by mountains of snow in Reykjavik. And, in recent years, winters with no snow in my native Denmark,” says Danish journalist Lars Toft Rasmussen, who recently published a book on his experience of living and travelling in Greenland and Iceland. “But that was in the old days, before climate change set in.”
Different scenarios of climate change
Climate scientists have different explanations for the unusual temperatures. In an interview with Danish newspaper Information climate scientist Jennifer Francis was in no doubt that “global warming, man-made climate change,” is to blame.
“Many aspects of global warming can probably change the jet streams and lead to this type of wave pattern occurring more frequently,” she said.
However, Halldór Björnsson climate researcher at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, points out in an interview with UNRIC, that already in the latter part of the 18th century a priest in Greenland, who carried out various natural science investigations, had discovered that when winters in Greenland were mild, they were often harsh in Denmark – and vice versa.
“This is the first known description of what is called the North Atlantic Oscillation, abbreviated NAO,” Björnsson said.
There are two different variations. In recent weeks, the NAO– circulation pattern has been very persistent and low-pressure systems have moved toward Greenland, making it warm and wet there, but at the same time polar air flows easily toward Northern Europe, where the weather can become cold and dry.
“The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a fundamental mode of variability in the Atlantic region and is not caused by climate change. However, global climate change can influence the NAO and is projected to increased the frequency of NAO+.”
That means that the current weather phenomenon might become less frequent.
Hollyhocks and daisies in Greenland
Still, these unusual conditions are a reminder that record high emissions of CO2 cause climate change, regardless if there are higher (Greenland) or lower (Denmark) temperatures recorded in the short run.
“Snow storms and icy conditions in Denmark, and at the same time temperatures almost high enough for hollyhocks and daisies in Greenland,” says Lars Toft Rasmussen. “The weather this winter is comparable to the way it was in my childhood and youth; but in the past 20 years, or so, the temperature has increased to the extent that snow is very rare. Climate sceptics are saying, “See, what did I tell you, there is now global warming!” All that these sceptics have to do, however, is to look North to Iceland and Greenland where nobody doubts that the World is heating up.”
Profound changes
Greenland like the Arctic is experiencing four times faster warming the global average. While the changing climate could potentially make the extraction and shipping of Greenland’s strategic mineral resources more profitable, it is already impacting Greenland’s vital sectors, particularly fishing. Warmer waters and thinner sea ice are already altering marine ecosystems, raising concerns for shrimp, halibut and cod stocks that together account for nearly a quarter of GDP and around 15% of jobs.
