Anchorage Beginning to Warm Up

Not to be outdone by Fairbanks, this January also ranks as one of the coldest Anchorage has experienced.

With an average temperature of 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit though Jan. 26 at the Ted Stevens International Airport, this month is on pace to be the fourth coldest recorded since 1953.

According to Sam Albanese, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Anchorage forecast office, the frigid temperatures have been a result of an amplified high pressure pattern over the mainland mixed with cold air coming out of the Arctic and Siberia.

But, he says that weather pattern is changing, and that there should be some warmer weather heading towards Anchorage.

“We’re looking at a more active weather pattern. We’re gonna see a low pressure system barreling on up into the Bering Sea, which in turn creates more of a stronger southerly flow over the mainland which brings a lot of warmer marine air over the state,” Albanese said.

Albanese says temperatures are expected to remain above zero tonight and should be getting consistently warmer through the weekend.

“Tomorrow, some places may be as high as 20 degrees. Tomorrow night, zero to five above. But as we get closer to the weekend, we’re looking at temperatures, even on Thursday, where you might actually see some temperatures above freezing around 35 degrees…25-25 there. And, even right through Sunday, 25-35 degrees, so, significant warming compared to what we’ve been having, that’s for sure,” Albanese said.

Click here for a link to a report by the National Weather Service’s John Papineau on Anchorage’s cold weather.

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