New Alaskan Records

Recently, Siberia hit record summer temperatures. Alaska just hit record heat for December.

“At the island community of Kodiak, the air temperature at a tidal gauge hit 67 degrees F (19.4 degrees C)…” – Arctic Today

At the same time, southern cities like Seattle were setting record lows in the teens. Global warming does mean the globe warms – overall. The details, however, are better described as Climate Change.

The impacts can seem simple until they are affecting people personally. Alaska, a place known for cold, snow, and ice, is prepared for extreme temperatures – and snow that is lighter and less likely because cold air holds less moisture. That’s probably why the record snowfalls (>1,100 inches) have been in places like the wet west side of Washington State’s Cascade mountains. Those local municipalities and residents have adapted to the wet microclimates at sea level and in the mountains, but not sudden lower temperatures.

Records in the Arctic are worth noting, and they are evidence of a larger trend which impacts places closer to the equator.