Anchorage, Alaska experienced the hottest fourth of July in its recorded history yesterday. What is known as America’s “coolest city” hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
UPDATE! At 5pm this afternoon, #Anchorage International Airport offically hit 90 degrees for the first time on record. #AKwx #RecordHeat
— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) July 5, 2019
The heat caused the city of Anchorage to cancel their firework show saying it is too much of a fire danger. With 650,000 acres burned last year in the state, this precaution is understandable.
The Anchorage Fire Department also issued a burn ban saying city residents would face a fine if they lit their own fireworks.
It is also noteworthy that the state has had its warmest spring and early summer then it has experienced before and temperatures are likely to only increase.
The climate crisis has greatly affected Alaska as they have become the nation’s fastest-warming state.
“It’s entirely possible that the warmest temperature ever recorded in Anchorage could be exceeded three to five days in a row. That’s the definition of unusual,” says climate researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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