Don’t be fooled by the happy green colors on the watery edge of this map. The high temperature in much of Alaska tomorrow will be 85 degrees F.
Alaska is baking under a five-to-seven day heat wave caused by exceptionally strong high pressure that will break most temperature records. Alaskans aren’t prepared for it. The normal high in Anchorage this week should be 67 degrees F but that’s close to what the low will be (61).
The deepest red on the map is in the southwest interior near the Kuskokwim River where the temperature will soar up to 95 degrees. This area suffered last winter, too, when an early thaw shut down transportation to 13,000 people.
Not only will it be hot in Alaska but it will be hard to breathe. Baking temperatures, dry vegetation and lightning have ignited huge forest fires across the state. The Sunday 7am forecast for much of Alaska includes “areas of smoke” shown in gray below.
There’s only one place left that’s truly cold. That cold dot on the map is the peak of Denali.
(maps from the National Weather Service; click on the captions to see the graphical forecast for Alaska)
When we were in Alaska in July, 1997, the hotel and restaurants in Anchorage were apologizing for their lack of air conditioning during a heat wave where the high was 73. They must really be baking now.