National Weather Service Issues First-Ever Heat Advisory in Alaska

For the first time in state history, the National Weather Service has issued an official heat advisory for Alaska, signaling a shift in how hot weather is communicated to residents in one of the nation’s coldest regions. The advisory, issued for the Fairbanks area, is in effect for Sunday, when temperatures are expected to climb above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). While similar heat has occurred before, this is the first time the NWS has used the “heat advisory” designation in Alaska.

Previously, unusually warm weather in the state was addressed through less-specific “special weather statements,” according to the Associated Press. The new designation aims to more clearly communicate potential health risks associated with extreme heat in a region where most buildings are designed to retain warmth—not shed it.

“This is an important statement, and the public needs to know that there will be increasing temperatures, and they could be dangerous because Alaska is not used to high temperatures like these,” Alekya Srinivasan said, a meteorologist based in Fairbanks.

The change does not reflect record-breaking heat or climate change, officials said, but rather an administrative update to improve public awareness. It’s not record heat but just now that the weather is consistently hot enough in Alaska for the state to issue heat advisories. The National Weather Service says it plans to allow additional forecast offices in the state to issue similar advisories in the future, including Anchorage, though no such advisories have been triggered there yet this year.