National Weather Service Juneau gives update on Southeast’s heat wave

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Kimberly Vaughn, Observing Program Lead for National Weather Service Juneau talked to News of the North about temperatures for Southeast Alaska seen over this past week.

These were the places Southeast got the hottest.

“We’ve seen temperatures all the way in the 70s, 80s, and even up into the 90s for some stations over the last few days,” she said. “One of our warmest stations was at Snettisham which is actually kind of southeast of the Juneau area with 91 degrees on the eighth. The same day, Haines Customs came in with 90-degree temperatures as well.”

Vaughn also detailed Juneau temperatures.

“For Juneau on the seventh, the Juneau Lena Point co-op observer came in with 83 degrees. The airport was 85. The forecast office was 84. Eagle Crest, which is a higher elevation and typically is a little bit cooler, but not always, but they came in with even a warm 75 degrees,” she said. “Only Lena Point broke a record and they have a little bit of a shorter database, meaning they’re not as robust. The Juneau airport, you know, goes back into the 30’s. But, 83 degrees is certainly a warmer-than-normal day. The record temperature for the Juneau airport, which is actually an all-time record, is 90 degrees. And that was set back in 1975.”

Juneau came just 5 degrees shy on Jul. 7 of meeting the all-time record of 90 degrees at the Juneau airport.

Vaughn looks at the coming week.

“We’re still looking for above-normal temperatures through most of the Panhandle. But, temperatures are coming down and we are seeing some increase in the marine stratus that’s been kind of hanging out on the outer coasts making for cooler temperatures out there. Elfin Cove has been in the 50s, Sitka also has been a little bit on the cooler side,” she said. “But, that has been extending into some of the inside passages of like Icy Strait and making it closer into the inside waters to the east. So, we’re gonna just see more clouds increasing and that’ll help bring down the temperatures as well.”

Vaughn finished her weather report by reminding people to stay mindful of heat, stay hydrated, and “keep yourself and your pets safe”.