Won't be an official heat wave, but weather pattern will bring near-record warmth to Alaska

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Updated Oct. 24, 2019 11:35 AM

Temperatures will climb up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across Alaska from Sunday to Monday, and AccuWeather meteorologists say the unseasonable warmth set to envelop the region will be due to the effects of a former typhoon.

Neoguri, once a typhoon in the North Pacific Ocean, skirted by mainland Japan at the beginning of this week and the storm, which is no longer tropical, is now on a path toward Alaska.

Neoguri will bring large, pounding waves and high winds that will threaten fishermen across the Bering Sea this weekend.

As the circulation from former-Typhoon Neoguri moves northeastward toward Alaska, southerly winds on the eastern side of the storm will pump mild air northward across the region, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.

The jet stream will bulge northward in response. This river of air often separates cool air to the north from warm air to the south.

As the mild air surges in, high temperatures are forecast to climb into the 40s F in Fairbanks and near 50 in Anchorage on Sunday and Monday, when average highs are in the 20s and 30s, respectively. Anchorage recorded its first measurable snowfall of the season just last week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The northernmost point in Alaska, Utqiaġvik, previously known as Barrow, will experience temperatures climbing into the 30s early next week. Monday's high could come close to the 1996 daily record of 34. The average high for Oct. 28 is 15.

The town of Bethel, situated about 400 miles due west of Anchorage, is forecast to challenge record highs each day from Saturday through Monday as temperatures climb into the middle 40s to around 50.

All of this unseasonable warmth comes on the heels of a very hot summer up in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Temperature records were smashed across various parts of Alaska during a heat wave in early September and another one in July, when Anchorage hit 90 degrees for the first time ever.

Those hoping to enjoy the milder weather outside might be disappointed to learn that the warmup will not be accompanied by dry weather.

Precipitation will spread across the state this weekend and linger into Monday.

"While warmer air will be moving into the area, cold air will initially be trapped at the surface," Adamson said. "Therefore, precipitation in southwestern Alaska may begin as a wintry mix or snow before changing to rain."

"In portions of interior Alaska, the air will stay cold enough for the precipitation to stay a wintry mix or snow for the duration of the event," he added.

Rain and snow showers are likely to continue on Tuesday as the storm lingers nearby. While temperatures may start to trend downward this day, temperatures are likely to remain above normal through the end of the month.

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