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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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Anchorage, Alaska, experienced warmer-than-average temperatures on Wednesday, continuing a winter trend of unusual warmth.
Why It Matters
The persistent warm weather in Anchorage highlights shifting climate patterns that have affected not only temperatures but also precipitation National Weather Service climate researcher Brian Brettschneider told Alaska Public Media that this trend is due to southerly flows of air over the Pacific, which have been carrying warmth and moisture into the state.
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The warm spell aligns with findings from the National Weather Service showing that January has already brought an average temperature in the city of 28 degrees F, 12 degrees above normal values for the month. These deviations have real implications for snowpack levels, which are crucial for water supplies and winter activities. Anchorage has seen just 1.7 inches of snow so far this month, well below the historical average.
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What To Know
The city's average temperature for Wednesday reached 20.5 degrees F, a significant deviation of 4.3 degrees above the five-year historical average for the same date. This follows a pattern of increased temperatures that has been observed across the region since late 2024.
The lack of snowfall and prevalence of rain also mark a sharp contrast with typical Anchorage winters. Despite the fourth snowiest October on record, roughly half of the precipitation in Anchorage this winter has been rain, Brettschneider said. This pattern appears to be more frequent in recent decades, with similar conditions occurring multiple times since 2000.
The current warmer conditions come during a La Niña weather pattern, which usually brings cooler weather to Alaska. Meanwhile, diminished sea ice in the Arctic is contributing additional heat to the atmosphere, compounding the effects of southerly airflows.
What People Are Saying
Chief meteorologist Melissa Frey of Alaska's News Source said: "Days with snow have been few and far between this season, and they haven't really brought much." She added that snowfall totals in Anchorage have been nearly a foot below average. Frey pointed to the scarcity of snow days, with only 17 measurable snowfall days since October 1, 2024, compared with double that at the same time last year.
Brian Brettschneider told Alaska Public Media: "As the air flows over that really, really warm water, it warms up more than it used to. So that's one part, and then it also holds more moisture, because warmer air has the capacity to hold more moisture."
He added that while such patterns have occurred in the past, their frequency is concerning. "It's happened before, but it's happened now three or four times since about the year 2000. So there definitely seems to be an increase in the propensity for that to happen."
What's Next
As Anchorage navigates through a warmer-than-usual winter, meteorologists predict a continuation of these patterns in the short term. A storm system forecast to pass through southern Alaska is expected to bring snowfall to areas like Seward and Girdwood, but Anchorage is likely to receive only a dusting.
The National Weather Service said there's a possibility of returning to more typical winter conditions after the current warm spell dissipates.
These deviations serve as a reminder of the broader climatic shifts affecting Alaska, raising questions about the long-term implications for the region's ecosystems and communities.
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