JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - An unprecedented heat wave has toppled weather records across Alaska.
The National Weather Service thermometer at Juneau International Airport on Friday hit 54 degrees, tying the highest temperature recorded in December there, the Juneau Empire reported .
The low temperature Thursday in Sitka (53 degrees) was one degree above the previous record high for the day.
“These are some fairly long-standing records that have fallen. Definitely the Sitka temperature you could say that about,” said Devid Levin, a general forecaster for the Weather Service in Juneau.
The heat wave in Alaska is due to a big ridge of upper-level high pressure, Levin said. With the jet stream moving to the north, warm air from the tropics has moved north, covering the state.
Records kept by the Weather Service since 1936 say three of the 10 warmest December days in Juneau’s history have come in the past week.
It was warmer Friday in Juneau than it was in Houston, Jacksonville, Florida or Monterrey, Mexico.
Levin said he expects temperatures to remain above normal through at least the first part of this week, with rain continuing throughout.
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com
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