When will the Alaska heat wave come to an end?

By Brett Rathbun, AccuWeather meteorologist

The heat wave that has enveloped much of Alaska in recent days and brought with it record-breaking temperatures is set to begin easing its grip. The hot and dry weather, which began just prior to the Fourth of July, will continue across parts of Alaska early this week, before relief arrives by week's end.

High temperatures will continue to take a run at 90 degrees Fahrenheit across some cities into midweek. However, the number of remaining days for locations to set a daily or all-time record high is coming to an end.

This prolonged stretch of above-normal heat has also led to the spread of ongoing wildfires across parts of central and southern Alaska. Residents have been impacted with smoky air and poor air quality for multiple days.

With many residents without air conditioning, this produced an uncomfortable stretch of weather. Other residents have had to closewindows to keep out the smoky air, which in turn did nothing more than raise the temperature inside their homes.

The hot weather forced some residents to head to nearby lakes to cool down.

Children play with inflatable flamingos and other creatures at Goose Lake Friday, July 5, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Lucy Davisdon, a resident of Alaska, took her grandchildren to a beach at Goose Lake to help get a break from the heat last week, The Associated Press reported.

She purchased a portable air conditioner six years ago at a garage sale and it has been working non-stop to help cool her home. However, the temperature inside of her home has not been able to drop below 82 degrees.

“If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d buy one of those big outdoor pools,” she said.

How much longer will this heat wave last?

A large dome of high pressure has remained nearly stationary across the region over the past week. This, combined with above-normal ocean temperatures, have led to record-breaking heat and temperatures averaging 10 to 20 degrees F above normal.

Daily high temperature records will still be in jeopardy across parts of the state early this week, including Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Rain chances early this week will be nearly non-existent.

However, there will be light at the end of the tunnel as the end of the week nears.

"This dome of high pressure will slowly weaken and track westward away from the state during the middle to later part of this week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

Along with the weakening of the high will be the return of cooler air and much-needed rainfall.

"Showers and thunderstorms will become more widespread during the middle to later part of this week, not only helping to keep temperatures down and also aid firefighters in battling the wildfires across the state," Buckingham said.

However, any bolt of lightning in a storm with little or no precipitation could trigger another fire.

Multiple temperature records set during ongoing heat wave

Multiple locations have set all-time or daily records during this heat wave. Most of these have occurred across the south-central cities, including Anchorage, Kenai, Palmer and King Salmon.

From June 28 to July 7, Anchorage has set seven new daily record-high temperatures out of a possible 10, according to Buckingham.

Anchorage reached 90 degrees F on the Fourth of July, the first time that has happened on record. The previous record-high temperature was 85 F set in 1969. The normal high temperature in Anchorage is only 65 F.

Anchorage has set or tied a record high at least five days in a row from July 3 through 7 and is likely to challenge the record of 84 set in 2003 on July 8. While the cooling trend is likely to begin on Tuesday, locally around Anchorage, the record of 79 set in 2005 is still reachable.

While recent 90 degrees was a first for Anchorage, it is not the first time the state has reached that mark. The all-time high temperature recorded in Alaska is 100 F at Fort Yukon set in 1915. Fairbanks reached an all-time high of 99 F set 100 years ago.

Even with smoke from nearby wildfires spreading over the city of Anchorage on multiple days, daily record-high temperatures continued to be challenged.

While the first week of July has been the most noticeable in terms of hot air, much of the state has been running above normal since June.

The last time Anchorage observed a below-average temperature day was on May 30. The average temperature on that day was 51 F, compared to a normal temperature of 52 F.

Anchorage had its warmest June on record last month with an average temperature of 60.5 degrees, which is 5.2 degrees above normal. In fact, the four warmest June months in the city have occurred during this decade.

While temperatures will trend lower throughout the week, this heat wave could help the city set another monthly average temperature record for July. Through July 7, the average temperature in Anchorage is 70 degrees. The monthly record is 62.7 degrees set in 2016.

RELATED: 
Heat exhaustion vs. heatstroke: What are the warning signs and how should you react? 
Anchorage, Alaska, shrouded by one of longest smoke events in history 
VIDEO: What's the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke?

Wildfires continue to grow outside Anchorage and Fairbanks amid dry, hot weather

The hot and dry weather pattern across Alaska has led to an increase in not only the number of wildfires, but also the acres burned.

The Swan Lake Fire, ignited by a lightning strike on June 5, has now burned more than 96,000 acres and is only 14 percent contained, according to InciWeb.

A dense smoke advisory remained in effect for the western half of the Kenai Peninsula through Monday morning local time, but can end up being extended to more days.

Smoke from this wildfire has occasionally moved over the city of Anchorage, leading to poor air quality. Wildfire smoke had become so widespread over the weekend that NOAA satellite imagery showed clouds of the smoke wafting across large portions of the state.

In this image captured by the NOAA-20 satellite, wildfire smoke can be seen across Alaska from outer space. (NOAA)

Alaska officials have closed part of the Chugach National Forest to all users due to health and safety concerns with the Swan Lake wildfire approaching, according to the AP.

The Montana Creek Fire started north of Anchorage on July 3. This fire has consumed less than 400 acres and is 30 percent contained.

Near Fairbanks, three fires continue to burn: the Nugget Creek Fire, Shovel Creek Fire and the Hess Creek Fire. Of those three, the Hess Creek Fire, northwest of Fairbanks, is the largest, burning 115,000 acres.

Download the free AccuWeather app to check on the latest forecast and temperature trends in your community. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.