Alaska's Kodiak Island Hits 67 Degrees, Setting New Temperature Record

Temperature in Alaska's Kodiak Island reached 67 degrees Celcius on Sunday. Temperatures have been unusually high this Christmas season in terms of seasonality.  

(Photo : Getty Images)

Alaska Experiences Unprecedented Warmth  

In the South, temperatures are 35 degrees higher than typical. It has been 25 degrees colder than average up north.

In the southern Alaskan territory of Kodiak, the temperature climbed to 67 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend, as per CNN. Even in Southern California on the same day, it was colder.

According to the National Weather Service in Anchorage, this was the hottest December day in Alaska's history, setting a record. As far back as 1953, the state of Alaska has kept track of its average daily high and low temperatures.

What makes this record particularly remarkable is that Alaska usually receives little sunshine during this time of the year. In late December, the sun is barely over the horizon six hours a day in Kodiak. Around 10 a.m., the sun rises, and it sets around 4 p.m.

By December, when the sun is at its lowest horizon in the Northern Hemisphere and Alaska receives the least amount of sunlight, "this exceptional warmth" becomes even more astounding, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

Also Read: Temperature Drop in the West Made Seattle Experience its Coldest Day Since 2010

What Could be the Cause of the Unusual Weather Patterns?

In sharp contrast to the weather in the Northern United States, where temperatures are significantly below average, the remarkable warmth in Alaska stands out. However, all of these extremes are linked together.

In December, the extraordinary warmth may be traced back to the same feature that brought cold, snowy weather to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. High pressure is entrenched in the Northern Pacific, just south of the Gulf of Alaska, a few hundred miles away. 

Flowing clockwise around it, the high pressure enables warmer, more tropical air from the Pacific Ocean on its western side, to be brought into Alaska.

As a result, Alaska has seen its warmest year on record. But Kodiak Island isn't the only site where records have been broken; Alaska as a whole has done so as well. A record-breaking 62 degrees was recorded at Cold Bay the day after Christmas, breaking the previous high of 44 degrees established in 1990.

(Photo : Getty Images)

The New Norm

Temperatures have been increasing twice as quickly as the rest of the earth in and around the Arctic. As temperatures rise, the atmosphere can store more water vapor, resulting in wetter air. As temperatures increase due to global warming, rainfall and flash floods are on the rise all across the world. 

Each degree Fahrenheit of warming can contain roughly 4% more water vapor, and most of Alaska was 40 degrees or more over typical temperatures for late December. This set the stage for an extraordinary amount of rain to fall in the area.

With over three times the monthly average precipitation pouring in a single day, Fairbanks had one of its wettest days on Sunday. The 26th was the wettest day of the year and the 3rd wettest day of the year in the area, with about two inches of liquid-equivalent precipitation (a mix of rain, freezing rain, and snow).

When it comes to liquid-equivalent precipitation (LEP), Fairbanks, Alaska has had the most rainfall in December on record, with 4.75" (almost 10-times their normal of slightly over half an inch) of rain in December.

Related Article: Some States Will Experience Non-Winterlike Conditions as Temperature Rises During Winter Season

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