Fairbanks has set another daily low temperature record earlier Thursday. National Weather Service technician Allura Wiemer says the thermometer at the airport hit 41 below zero.
Fairbanks also set a daily low temperature record Tuesday, and just missed a record Wednesday. There could be more record breaking days ahead, as the forecast through Monday calls for 25 to 40 below zero lows. National Weather Service meteorologist Ray Little says the cold is the result of a ridge of high pressure that’s pulling in arctic air, and there’s minimal relief in sight.
Little says higher elevations are warmer as an inversion sinks the coldest air into valleys. He says it’s hard to predict how big the temperature spread will be day to day, but the inversion is strong.
Extreme cold means more wood, coal and oil burning, upping fine particulate pollution at ground level. The Fairbanks North Star Borough has issued alerts due to declining air quality.
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Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
