Alaska heat wave shatters record
Temperatures in Alaska’s largest city Anchorage have soared to a sweltering all-time record of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 centigrade) as a heat wave grips the US state which straddles the Arctic Circle.
Fourth of July fireworks were canceled due to risk of wildfires caused by “extreme dry weather conditions,” as temperatures matching those in Miami highlighted rapid warming in a region considered particularly vulnerable to climate change.
“At 5pm this afternoon, Anchorage International Airport officially hit 90 degrees for the first time on record,” tweeted the National Weather Service (NWS) late Thursday.
The previous record was 85 degrees, set in June 1969.
The average high temperature for July 4 in Anchorage, located in southern Alaska, is a far cooler 65 degrees.
The abnormally warm weather is being caused by a “giant ridge of high pressure sitting right over us,” NWS meteorologist Bill Ludwig told the Anchorage Daily News.
Alaska had earlier broken temperature records throughout a hot spring, particularly in the Arctic zone which is especially sensitive to fluctuations in climate.
All 30 days in June had above-average temperatures, the NWS said.
According to scientists, Alaska is warming at twice the rate of the global average.
“From 1901 to 2016, average temperatures in the mainland United States increased by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit... whereas in Alaska they increased by 4.7 degrees,” Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told AFP in April.
The dramatic warming Alaska has experienced in recent years -- linked partly to a decline in sea ice and Arctic ocean warming -- has wreaked havoc on local communities, wildlife and the state’s economy.
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