Barrow, Alaska: The Last Place You'd Expect to Find Record Warmth

Jon Erdman
Published: May 20,2015



 

Jet stream configuration responsible for the persistent warmth in Alaska and northern Canada in mid-late May 2015.

You may be sweating in the southern U.S., but right now the record warmth is in parts of Alaska, including America's northernmost city.

Actual Highs: Alaska, Northwest Canada

Barrow, Alaska, set daily record high temperatures three straight days, topping out Tuesday at 46 degrees.
This may not sound warm to you, but north of the Arctic Circle, this is extreme warmth for late May.
According to Weather Underground's Bob Henson, this was Barrow's warmest temperature on record so early in the calendar year. The previous earliest date the temperature reached 46 degrees in Barrow was May 23, 1996.
Henson says the average date this first occurs is June 17. Despite 24-hours of sunlight, the average high this time of year in Barrow is still stuck in the upper 20s.
(MORE: Barrow's Sun Won't Set Until Early August)
Barrow wasn't alone setting records. Fairbanks set a daily record high of 77 degrees Sunday, and has vaulted into the 70s six of the past seven days through Tuesday.
The heat, as usual, has been most pronounced in Alaska's eastern interior. The tiny village of Eagle, located near the border with Canada's Yukon Territory, has seen temperatures soar into the 80s four straight days, topping out at 86 degrees Monday.
According to Alaska weather blogger Richard James, this was the hottest temperature so early in the calendar, there, exceeding the previous record by over a week. James notes, however, a May 1995 heat wave, sent temperatures soaring to 85 degrees in Eagle on May 11.
While not setting daily records, Alaska's capital of Juneau has also soared into the low 70s five of the past seven days.

Why Is This Happening? 

Interestingly, Alaska's recent warmth can be traced to a pair of earlier super typhoons.
"A series of two western Pacific super typhoons -- Noul and Dolphin -- have done a number on the (jet stream) pattern across the north Pacific following their extratropical transition," says Dr. Michael Ventrice, Operational Scientist at The Weather Channel Professional Division.
Ventrice says the ex-typhoons created "high-latitude wave breaking," creating a pronounced northward diversion of the jet stream over the eastern two thirds of Alaska and northwest Canada.
Amazingly, there's no immediate end in sight to this warm spell.
Blocking high pressure aloft -- known by meteorologists as an "omega block" because it resembles the Greek letter omega -- will remain in place over Alaska and western Canada into much of next week.
This means more 70s along the Gulf of Alaska coast, 80s in the interior, and yes, more highs flirting with the 40s in Barrow.
(FORECAST: Barrow | Fairbanks | Juneau | Anchorage)
Unless the interior 80s are too hot for your liking, you've hit the jackpot if you've booked an Alaskan vacation here in late May.

Flooding and erosion of Alaska's Dalton Highway at milepost 394 on May 18, 2015.
(State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

This warm spell does have its drawbacks.
Fire danger will remain high into next week in Alaska's eastern interior.
Also, the warm weather is leading to rapid snowmelt, draining into area rivers.
Monday, the Dalton Highway, the only road to the North Slope oil fields, was shutdown due to heavy flooding. A 68-mile stretch was closed as of late Tuesday.
Rapid melting of lingering ice in the Sagavanirktok River sent up to two feet of water over the vital route, flooding the road for the second time this spring. Parts of the road were washed out.
Anchorage just chalked up its record warmest April and has all but clinched its least snowy season on record. Only 25.1 inches of snow fell in the city, beating its prior least snowy season -- 30.4 inches -- set in 1957-1958.

MORE: Alaskan Glacier Retreat Photos