Heat spreads across Alaska with no widespread rain in sight

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Tuesday was the fifth day in a row with above-average temperatures in Anchorage, and the 10th consecutive day without any measurable rainfall. This warm and dry trend will continue through the end of June, and likely into the first week of July.

High pressure is centered over the state. With the upper-level winds forced north, most of Alaska will stay storm-free.

The same cannot be said for the Aleutians or across the Bering Sea. An area of low pressure is spreading north, bringing high winds, rain, and a high surf to the northern Kuskokwim Bay coast. This area should be prepared for water levels to rise three to six feet above normal high tide. Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph are also likely.

The Aleutians will also stay cool Wednesday, but high temperatures will climb back to the upper 60s and low 70s across Southcentral, mid- to upper 60s across Southeast, to the 80s across the Interior, and even to the 60s on the Slope.

Anchorage has already reached 75 degrees or above three times this month. We’ve only seen three days over 75 degrees in June six times in recorded history. The overall average temperature for June is only about half a degree above what is normal but is about 2 degrees above June to date of 2023. This month’s rainfall is also significantly lower than what most of Anchorage experienced last June, which brought 17 days with measurable precipitation, while this year, we’ve seen just four days with rain.

The number of active wildfires in the state is up to 222 as of Tuesday evening, and 22 of those are new in the past 24 hours. Fortunately, lighting activity was lower on Tuesday, with fewer than 1,000 strikes recorded. More than 5,000 lightning strikes were recorded in Alaska on Monday, and more than 6,000 were tallied on Sunday.

With high fire danger continuing, use extra caution to keep from adding any additional human-caused fires. Burn permits are suspended in the Mat-Su and Interior. Open fires are prohibited in Anchorage.

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