Oops. I wonder if this pattern of heat domes will continue for the rest of the summer and what their frequency is. By the end of the year it might no longer be as unusual.
Per TFA, this isn't actually all that unusual. Core samples suggest it happens about every 150 years or so, with the last occurrence in the late 19th Century. Indeed, one of the scientists in the article says, "this event is right on time."
Still, I wish they'd provide a bit more information. Do we know what kind of event likely caused 1889's melting? Would it, similarly, have happened in such short a span of time, or due to a similar weather event? It's still hard to dismiss as "normal" when there are so many unanswered questions.
On it's own, it is just freak weather, which is why I was wondering about the probability of a clump of them, given the description of the weather cycle that triggered this. Lora Koenig, the scientist you quoted, was also saying that repetitions of this in the next few years would be worrisome.
