Some parts of Alaska could reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday—the same temperatures forecast for some parts of Northern Texas.
National Weather Service (NWS) Juneau meteorologists have issued a heat advisory for several locations in the Alaskan Inside Passage as abnormally high temperatures bring a risk of heat-related illness to parts of the state.
Why It Matters
The end of summer has brought contrasting weather across the country. A cold front ushered in below-average temperatures in many states this week, dropping temperatures as far as 30 degrees below average for parts of the Central and Southern Plains, including Texas. Meanwhile, abnormally high temperatures have hit the Pacific Northwest and parts of Alaska, prompting heat-related weather alerts.
What to Know
The NWS Juneau heat advisory went into effect on Thursday and will remain in place through Friday at 7 p.m. local time. Temperatures could reach as high as 80 degrees in areas not prone to sea breezes.
Meanwhile, below-average temperatures have hit the Southern Plains, including in Northern Texas. For example, Friday’s forecast high for Perryton, Texas, is 80 degrees.
In Alaska, the hottest temperatures will most likely be felt on Prince of Wales Island, NWS general forecaster Zoe Kaplan told Newsweek, specifically areas like Hollis or Thorne Bay. Kaplan said the bigger cities, like Ketchikan, likely won’t feel as hot because of the sea breeze.
“The land and water temperature difference creates more of a pressure that can carry wind, so any areas around the water will feel that sea breeze a little more,” Kaplan said. “That can keep temperatures down. It’s mostly just any city away from the water and more inland from the channels that will feel those temperatures reaching 80.”
Areas closer to the water will see temperatures in the mid- to high-70s. Average high temperatures in the Ketchikan area this time of year are around 63 degrees.
Kaplan said there’s a small chance the daily high temperature record of 81 degrees at the Ketchikan airport could be broken.
“This is a little abnormal pattern for us this time of year,” she said.
The Alaskan heat advisory is the only heat advisory in place for the U.S. on Friday.
What People Are Saying
NWS Juneau in a heat advisory: “Individuals not accustomed to these unusually hot temperatures for this region may experience heat related illnesses.”
NWS Juneau in a post on X on Wednesday: “The warmest max temps will be in areas not prone to sea breezes, reaching the lower 80s in the afternoon. Temperatures will cool back down to the low to mid 50s overnight.”
What Happens Next
Above-normal temperatures could return to much of Alaska next week, according to a temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center.
Read the full article here
