Jim Dorsch of Frederick, Md., is one of hundreds of tourists who crowded downtown Anchorage on a recent rainy afternoon, many sporting umbrellas and light jackets. Some of his friends had hit chilly weather visiting the city earlier this month, and he figured it would clear up by the time he arrived.
“They sent back pictures of themselves all bundled up and that kind of thing,” he said. “So we kinda had an idea that maybe it wouldn’t be like that.”
But it was like that.
Anchorage’s summer has been one of the rainiest and coldest in over a decade. For tourists like Dorsch, it means they couldn’t do everything on their Alaska itineraries.
“We wanted to fly around the mountain,” he said. “And the company that we chose to use canceled on us twice, because of the weather.”
Meanwhile in the Lower 48 — from New York to Texas to Nevada — Americans are feeling the burn as heat waves blanket much of the country.
National Weather Service meteorologist Aviva Braun said the record-breaking heat is due to a high pressure system that’s stuck in place. While it’s not out of the ordinary for those systems to get stuck, she said global warming has led to higher temperatures when it happens.
“The way that I would think about it is that it’s allowing the opportunity for more of these extremes to occur,” she said.
Up north, in Alaska, a stubborn low pressure system isn’t budging.
“That just goes to show that we’ve been under this pattern that we just haven’t been able to shake,” Braun said. “And every single time we see a light at the end of the tunnel, it gets squashed as another low moves through this upper level pattern.”
While some Anchorage residents may be shocked at the relatively lackluster summer weather, others remember when it was like this every year.
“Well I have to tell ya, it is like the old days,” said Becky Gerik. “It seemed to rain more in the old days.”
Gerik has lived in Anchorage for more than 40 years. On a recent afternoon, she was at Westchester Lagoon with her grandson Alden, both in raincoats — with temperatures in the mid 50s. She said this summer feels pretty average, after several warm years.
“Because none of us have air conditioning in our house, this feels normal and it’s nice and cool, and I never get too hot,” Gerik said. “So yeah actually, this feels pretty normal and I’m very thankful we’re here and not in the Lower 48. Like in Boise, where my son is, it’s 105 today. My parents in Arkansas, it’s over 100. So this is pretty sweet.”
Further up the trail, Natalie Fraser is on her college summer break. She’s also from Anchorage, and she said she understands the desire for sunnier skies, having seen several hot summers recently.
“I think we were spoiled last summer by having a month and a half of absolutely amazing, gorgeous, sunny everyday weather,” Fraser said.
This summer, she said, even just a hint of sun feels special.
“I think the fun thing is whenever there is a sunny day in Anchorage, you see absolutely everyone outside,” Fraser said. “The restaurants are empty, the stores are empty.”
Fraser said she is concerned for her friends in the Lower 48 as they experience blistering heat.
National Weather Service officials estimate that close to a third of Americans were under extreme heat alerts over the weekend. That includes Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where tourist Alicia Zvanut was visiting from. During a hike up Anchorage’s popular Flattop mountain, she described the clear air and light rain as signs that taking the trip was worth it.
“I mean it’s scary,” Zvanut said, “the fact that this is what you have to do to kind of have some fresh air to breathe in without wanting to choke on the humidity. But it’s nice.”
As temperatures continue to rise globally, Zvanut said, she’s anxious to see other parts of Alaska, while they’re still somewhat normal.
“I’m just happy that we were able to make this happen,” she said. “And I’m really excited to see what’s left of all of the beautiful glaciers and all of that good stuff, before it goes bye-bye forever.”
In the meantime, weather service officials are optimistic that Anchorage will see several days of sunshine and higher temperatures heading into this weekend.
But, they say, that warmth won’t stick around for long.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
