Alaska had its historic record for heat: 32 degrees in Anchorage, the largest city in the state, according to an AFP report picked up by The world.
On average, this time of year, the hottest temperature felt in Alaska is 18.3 degrees. That said, the mercury had already skyrocketed just 50 years ago! In 1969, the thermometer had recorded 29.4 degrees (85 degrees Fahrenheit).
Plus 2.6 degrees in Alaska in 100 years
The National Weather Service agency said Anchorage was not the only city in Alaska to have broken a historic heat record. The reason ? “A vast area of high pressure” lies just above the US state. At least that’s what meteorologist Bill Ludwig of the NWS told the local Anchorage Daily News.
Global warming particularly affects Alaska. According to the researchers, it is twice as fast as anywhere else in the world. Experts from the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy pointed out that between 1901 and 2016, when the United States averaged 1 degree celsius, Alaska recorded a rise of 2.6 degrees.
In Alaska, the soil is 85% permafrost, a frozen layer that melts very quickly. The constructions are weakened as well as all the balance of the natives. The populations depend on a traditional way of life based on hunting and fishing.
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