New-to-Alaska heat advisories could be issued for some areas of state this summer
Heat advisories will be issued this year from the Juneau and Fairbanks NWS offices
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Temperatures that could push into the 80s this summer in Southeast and Interior areas of the state could trigger the first heat advisories ever issued by the National Weather Service’s Alaska office.
In the past, the National Weather Service would issue a special weather statement to communicate the heat risks.
That is changing in June this year when both the Juneau and Fairbanks NWS office will begin issuing heat advisories. It will be the first of its kind in the Last Frontier and points to how heat, at times, can be problematic to humans.
Alaska continues to warm nearly double the rate of the rest of the United States, with the statewide average annual air temperatures increasing by three degrees Fahrenheit.
Some of the most pronounced warming occurs during the winter months, with the average winter temperature increasing by six degrees Fahrenheit.
While Alaska winters are warming much more rapidly, summers can still come with some toasty afternoons. This is most often seen in the Interior, where highs routinely warm into the 80s and even into the 90s.
Melting glaciers, thawing permafrost, and sea ice that continues to thin and shrink are becoming the new normal in Alaska. While Alaska does have seemingly nice summers, there are stretches of weather during the summer months that can bring very warm conditions.
Heat is the number one related weather killer in the United States, killing more than 14,000 Americans since 1979. These heat advisories are meant to communicate the potentially hazardous heat that could impact parts of the state each summer.
The criteria will be different compared to heat advisories in the Lower 48, with the National Weather Service saying that there will not be any duration criteria for the heat advisories. This means that as long as the maximum forecast temperature remains at or above the temperature threshold for the heat advisory, the alert will go into effect.
The criteria are as follows:
| Location | Temperature at which heat advisory will be issued |
|---|---|
| Interior | 85 Degrees |
| North Slope | 75 Degrees |
| Southeast | 80 Degrees |
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
