Arctic Ice: The Current Winds Are Exactly What We Don't Want To See

For the last week the air flow in the Bering Strait had been coming off the Pole and allowing the Strait and the seas just to the north to get some ice growing (at top in this view).
Additionally the Fram Strait Between Greenland and Svalbard had been freezing nicely, creating the plug we talked about in September and again a couple months ago as possible good news. Well that has reversed as well. The warmer wind from the south has already melted ice that was forming on the west side of the archipelago and if it doesn't change direction shortly will begin to work against the ice that has developed so well on Greenland's eastern shore.

First up, from the Danish Meteorological Institute, the current ice thickness:

It is shaping up as well as can be expected, except for the Russian Northern Sea Route which should have stretches of the green and yellow (2.5 to 3.5 meter) coloration.

And from VentuSky, the wind and temperature map: (click through to VentuSky for the real-time interactive):