Anchorage roasts as heat records break across Alaska

The latest heat wave to bake a part of the globe is underway in Alaska where several locations, including Anchorage, broke single-day records for high temperatures. 

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Anchorage had its first-ever recorded temperature of at least 90 degrees on Thursday, breaking the previous record of 85 degrees, which was set 50 years ago. 

Other locations setting new all-time single-day record high temperatures include Kenai (89 degrees) and King Salmon (89 degrees). More records are expected to be set on Friday. 

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In a report, the NWS put it bluntly: "The 4th of July 2019 was a day truly for the record books in the
climate department." In fact, the recorded high in Anchorage was hotter than several cities in the lower 48.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports sea surface temperatures have reached upwards of 10 degrees above normal, a level that Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, tells the Times is "astronomical."

Image: Lance King / Getty Images

A particular set of weather patterns have allowed a dome of heat to settle over southern parts of Alaska. Brian Brettschneider, a climate researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, explained the phenomenon to NBC News: 

Complicating matters is that a dry June has led to severe drought in some parts of the state, which has raised fire danger levels, too.  

While average July high temps for Anchorage usually hover in the mid-60s, temperatures in the Anchorage area are currently forecast to stay well into the 80s through the next week.

Alaska's heat wave follows record-breaking temperatures in Europe at the end of June, with climate scientists blaming climate change for the alarming trend. 

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