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Arctic Alaska records highest temperature ever

arctic-alaska-records-highest-temperature-ever

The maximum daily temperature in Deadhorse, Far North Alaska reached 29.4 °C (85 °F) on Wednesday, July 13, 2016. This is the highest temperature ever known to be recorded in that area, NWS Fairbanks said. Although high temperatures were recorded across a wide region of Alaska, a sharp temperature drop is now underway.

On Wednesday, July 13, Deadhorse saw state's highest temperature ever measured within 80 km (50 miles) of the Arctic. Fairbanks recorded 31.1 °C (88 °F) on the same day, the highest since 2009. Bettles and Eagle also saw 29.4 °C (the same as the New York City) while Fort Yukon reached 28.9 °C (84 °F).

On Thursday, July 14, Fairbanks hit 31.1 °C for the second day in a row while Fort Wainwright measured 31.7 °C (89 °F).

The high temperatures were caused by a very strong upper level ridge parked over northern Alaska. "It's not that unusual, but this could be our warmest weather of the summer," said NWS meteorologist Rick Thoman.

"It could get warmer later in the month, but after early August that is unlikely."

So far in 2016, the state's average temperature is -0.88 °C (30.4 °F), some 5 °C (9 °F) higher than normal, Dole Rice of the USA Today writes. The all-time record high temperature in Alaska is 37.8 °C (100 °F), set on June 27, 1915, in Fort Yukon.

A sharp temperature drop is expected by the weekend and during the next week as Arctic front sweeps over the region. Temperatures could drop as much as 11.1 °C (20 °F) below normal, the weather service said.

Featured image credit: Google

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2 Comments

  1. Holy cow! 85 degrees in Deadhorse, Alaska!? That is BURNING UP! That is the highest temperature EVER!

    Well… maybe not the highest EVER. But it is the highest since Reagan was President. We can’t really say what the temperature records were before that because the Deadhorse records only go back to the 1980s.

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