Warmest Polar Night Reaches 40 degrees in Record-Breaking Temperature High Even Though There was No Sun for Days in Alaska

Even though the sun has not been shining Alaska experienced record-breaking temperatures of 40 degrees.

A wind shift brought a surge of mild, cold air to this arctic outpost on Monday morning, the northernmost town in Alaska experienced a fleeting taste of winter warmth - at least, relatively speaking.

Warmest Polar Night

The morning of Monday in Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow, started as usual. Although it was only 20 degrees outside, the wind chill was close to zero due to the 35 mph southeasterly gusts.

Then, as a band of snow moved in, the wind shifted to the south, turning up the "heat," sending the temperature soaring from 25 to a toasty 40 degrees in just 30 minutes.

The reading broke the previous record of 34 degrees, set in 1932 for the town's warmest December day, by several degrees. In fact, it was warmer than any winter ever measured. The warmest temperatures ever recorded in late fall or, early spring also fell short of this new record.

According to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks, which gives credit to climate expert Rick Thoman for the discovery, the previous warmest temperature recorded for dates between October 20 and April 22 was only 39 degrees, set in November 1937.

Utqiagvik is still experiencing 65 days of polar darkness. This means that the sun has not shone since November 18. The next sunrise will happen on January 23, so don't think that the town's residents all rushed outside to party in the streets with sunglasses and beachwear in hand when the temperatures reached 40 degrees, Fox Weather reports.

Polar Night

Polar night, as defined by Time And Date, is the opposite of the midnight sun, when absolutely nothing of the Sun's disc is visible above the horizon. Only the polar regions experience it.

Polar nights occur in the polar regions during the winter months of September through March for the Northern Hemisphere and from March through September for the Southern Hemisphere.

Even areas that are on the day side of the Earth do not receive direct sunlight because the Sun stays below the horizon during the winter as the polar region tilts away from the Sun.

Read also: River Found Under Antarctica Accelerates Ice Loss as Global Temperatures Rise 

Polar Night Locations

Many densely populated of the Northern Hemisphere experience polar nights. A portion of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Finland, Russia, and Sweden also experience the phenomenon, despite Norway's claims to be the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Antarctica is the only landmass in the Southern Hemisphere that is sufficiently south to experience polar nights.

Around the Autumnal or Fall Equinox in September, the North Pole experiences the start of the polar night as the sun sets. The Polar Day or Midnight Sun lasts for roughly 6 months before the Sun rises once more around the Vernal or Spring Equinox in March.

After the September Equinox, the area undergoing polar night moves southward as the Sun gradually sinks lower in the sky at the North Pole, eventually engulfing nearly the entire Arctic Circle by the December Solstice.

Polar Nights Are Counted by 24 Hr Cycles

According to the Arctic Kingdom, when multiple weeks don't have a sunrise, it can be tricky to count the days. Polar nights are therefore measured in daily increments rather than in terms of the number of hours of darkness. For example, in Sweden's northernmost town, Kiruna, the polar night lasts for around 28 24-hour periods.

Related article: Climate Experts Are Concerned About Heatwaves at Both Poles of the Earth