By Brett Rathbun, AccuWeather meteorologist
Anchorage, Alaska, saw the mercury soar to 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday shattering the city's all-time record-high temperature by 5 degrees. The previous record of 85 F was set in 1969. It also shattered the daily record of 77 F for July 4, which had stood since 1999. Records in Anchorage date back to 1952.
Several other places in Alaska set all-time or daily records on Thursday.
While it was well above normal in Anchorage, the 90-degree temperature is not a first for the state of Alaska. According to records kept by the National Weather Service (NWS), Alaska is no stranger to the 90s. In fact, way back on July 28, 1919, Fairbanks made a run at 100 when the mercury topped out at 99. Fairbanks has experienced 90-degree heat on several other occasions, most recently on August 5, 1994, when it recorded a 93-degree temperature.
Other spots in Alaska have hit the 90s too, including McGrath, which saw a 94-degree temperature as recently as June 17, 2013. Alaska has seen triple-digit heat at least once since record keeping began: In 1915, Fort Yukon, which is situated in central eastern Alaska, recorded a temperature of 100 degrees.
And the sizzling temps will remain in the coming days. The heat dome that has set up across the far southern part of the state and brought the unseasonably warm temps to Anchorage will surge northward into next week. Temperatures will take a run at 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher across several locations across Alaska into next week, threatening to shatter many daily record highs while some locations may topple all-time records.
"A strong area of high pressure has been nearly stationary and baking portions of southern Alaska recently, and it will gradually expand northward through this weekend and into next week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said.
Highs will average 10 to 20 F above normal for this time of the year.
The normal high temperature in Anchorage during early July is 65 F. Highs in the 80s will continue across Anchorage through at least Monday.
"Anchorage will continue to set daily record highs into early next week," Adamson said.
Meanwhile, Fairbanks, Alaska, which had highs in the 60s and 70s through July Fourth, will see temperatures rising into the upper 80s by the end of this weekend.
"Daily record highs will be challenged in Fairbanks on Monday and Tuesday of next week, though the all-time record high in the city will stand," Adamson said, referring to the 99 degree mark set 100 years ago.
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Juneau will also challenge record-high temperatures each day through Monday of next week.
"Anybody spending prolonged periods of time outdoors should be sure to drink plenty of fluids in order to stay properly hydrated," AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott said.
Generally rain-free days will be in store across the state. This will increase the threat for wildfires and also lead to poor air quality.
This is normally the warmest time of the year across Alaska as normal temperatures begin to decline by the middle of the month. While heat of this magnitude is common across the central parts of the state, it is not too common for it to become this warm along coastal locations. Warmer ocean temperatures off the coast have likely aided in this record heat.
While winds will remain generally light, firefighters battling the Swan Lake Fire in the Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage, will continue to battle hot and dry conditions into next week.
A dense smoke advisory will remain in effect for the western half of the Kenai Peninsula through Friday. Indeed, some people in an around Anchorage posted on Twitter to say that wildfire smoke wafted into town along with the high temperatures, and forced people to shut their windows . This in turn cause temperatures inside homes to rise.
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 2, 2019, and provided by the Alaska Division of Forestry, smoke rises from a wildfire in east Anchorage, Alaska. A fast-moving brush fire caused the temporary evacuations of a trailer home park and a science center in east Anchorage on Tuesday afternoon. Smoke from the fire raised a plume over Alaska's largest city that could be seen for miles. (Jason Jordet/Alaska Division of Forestry via AP)
Three other fires are ongoing across central Alaska, outside of Fairbanks, according to inciweb.
"With vegetation continuing to dry out through the weekend, campers and hikers should be sure to thoroughly extinguish fires and cigarette butts to minimize the risk of sparking a wildfire," Elliott said.
The area of high pressure will lose some of its intensity toward the end of next week as it shifts over the Bering Sea. While temperatures will tumble back closer to normal across Anchorage and other coastal locations, highs will remain in the 80s across Fairbanks and central parts of the state.
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