Father Christmas might find himself in hot water this year, as temperatures at the North Pole are predicted to rise above melting point in the next 48 hours.
Scientists say temperatures in the Arctic have been spiking in the last week, and by Thursday the mercury is expected to read approximately 10 degrees celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) above average for this time of year.
Computer models predict this will bring it up to the melting point, at 0 degrees, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Typically air temperatures at the pole don’t start rising to melt until May, making 2016 a fairly momentous five months early and a dangerous tipping point for the region.
In fact, on some forecast maps, the colour bar doesn’t even go as high as it is predicted, according to the Washington Post.
Zachary Labe at the University of California said on Twitter: “The persistence and magnitude of above average Arctic temperatures continues to remain quite impressive.”
Scientists claim that the reason for this unprecedented warming is a combination of factors, led by storms curving from the Atlantic.
These storms, which are moving towards the Pole, drag mild air on a mild southerly airflow with them.
Despite this being highly unusual, it is the second year in a row that late December has seen such freakishly high temperatures, and for the second time in as many months.