Current:Home > InvestAn industrial Alaska community near the Arctic Ocean hits an unusually hot 89 degrees this week -RiskWatch
An industrial Alaska community near the Arctic Ocean hits an unusually hot 89 degrees this week
View
Date:2025-04-17 06:50:42
An industrial community near the Arctic Ocean that supports Alaska’s North Slope oil fields hit a record 89 degrees Fahrenheit this week, the warmest temperature Deadhorse has seen in more than a half-century of record keeping.
The unincorporated community marks the end of the 414-mile (666-kilometer) Dalton Highway, a largely gravel and dirt road used by trucks carrying oil field supplies and equipment that turns to treacherous snow and ice in winter. Public access on the highway, also sometimes called the Haul Road, ends at Deadhorse, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from the Arctic Ocean. Access beyond that point is restricted though tourists can pay to take a shuttle to the ocean.
The normal temperature range for Deadhorse this time of year is in the 50s and 60s, said Andrew Stokes, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fairbanks. The 89-degree mark hit Tuesday eclipses the prior recorded high of 85 degrees set in July 2016, he said. Records for Deadhorse date to late 1968.
Barter Island on the Beaufort Sea coast reached a record there for August of 74 degrees Tuesday, eclipsing the prior record of 72 set in August 1957, the weather service said.
A combination of factors led to the recent heat, including a pattern that drew in warmer, drier conditions from Alaska’s Interior region, Stokes said.
“A single event cannot be attributed to overall climate trends, but there has been ample observational evidence of an increase in these record-breaking events,” he said.
Temperatures in Deadhorse have moderated and were in the mid-60s Thursday afternoon, with the forecast calling for chances of rain and highs in the 50s through Monday.
Alaska is warming faster than the global average with annual average temperatures increasing across the state since 1971, according to a U.S. national climate assessment released last fall.
Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist with the weather service, said Thursday that locales that reach around 90 degrees generally don’t have permafrost.
veryGood! (996)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Donald Trump joined TikTok with a UFC appearance video. He tried to ban the app as POTUS
- Cleveland woman indicted for fatal stabbing of 3-year-old at Giant Eagle, video released
- Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa Clap Back at Criticism Over Playful Marriage Video
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ made noise in Cannes, but it still lacks a US distributor
- The prosecution is wrapping up in Hunter Biden’s gun trial. There are 2 more witnesses expected
- Welcome to the 'microfeminist' revolution: Women clap back at everyday sexism on TikTok
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Vanna White sends tearful farewell to Pat Sajak on 'Wheel of Fortune': 'I love you, Pat!'
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- What to look for the in the Labor Department's May jobs report
- New 'Hunger Games' book and film adaptation in the works: 'Sunrise on the Reaping'
- Trailer for LEGO animated Pharrell Williams biopic featuring Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and more released
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Hundreds of asylum-seekers are camped out near Seattle. There’s a vacant motel next door
- Is it OK to come out in your 30s? Dakota Johnson's new movie shows 'there is no timeline'
- At 93 years old, Willie Mays has added 10 more hits to his MLB record. Here's why.
Recommendation
Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
Possibility of ranked-choice voting in Colorado faces a hurdle with new law
Billie Eilish and Nat Wolff come to blows in dizzying 'Chihiro' music video: Watch
Vanna White bids emotional goodbye to Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak ahead of final episode
What to watch: O Jolie night
Maintenance and pilot failure are cited in report on fatal 2022 New Hampshire plane crash
Chiefs cancel OTA session after player suffers 'medical emergency' in team meeting
GameStop shares surge nearly 50% after 'Roaring Kitty' teases livestream