The North Pole is 36 Degrees Hotter Than It Shoud Be

There are only a few things you can count on in this life: death, taxes, and that a time of year called "polar night" that happens in the Arctic and has almost no sun will be pretty freakin' cold.

Well, forget about that last one.

This time of year at the North Pole, there is literally no sun—hence the "polar night" designation. So that's supposed to be the time that stuff gets really cold, the sea ice gets thick, and nature continues to keep on ticking. However, this year things are anything but normal. The Washington Post is reporting that sea ice is at a record low, and that temperatures in the Artic are a shocking 36 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average. You can see this on the very, very scary chart below. You see that giant red spot on top? That's climate doom.

In related and equally horrifying news, the World Meteorological Organization released a statement on Monday saying that it is "very likely" that this year will be "the hottest year on record." The previous hottest year on record? You guessed it: 2015. And this isn't just a fluke. The WMO points out that 16 of the 17 hottest years since they started keeping count have happened this century, and the other one was 1998.

If you wanted reassurance from WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas that things really aren't as bad as they seem, well, maybe you should talk to someone else.

"Because of climate change, the occurrence and impact of extreme events has risen," he said. "'Once in a generation' heatwaves and flooding are becoming more regular. Sea level rise has increased exposure to storm surges associated with tropical cyclones."

The WMO also points out that the Arctic sea ice level is, as you probably already guessed, the lowest ever for this time of the year. Good thing president-elect Trump is taking the challenge of saving the climate seriously.