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| Alaska 'Icemageddon' warning follows heat record | Alaska 'Icemageddon' warning follows heat record |
| (7 months later) | |
| Kodiak - one of the places that has seen record-high temperatures (file photo) | Kodiak - one of the places that has seen record-high temperatures (file photo) |
| The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell. | The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day, amid an unusual winter warm spell. |
| Temperatures soared to a record 19.4C (67F) on the island of Kodiak on Sunday - almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high. | Temperatures soared to a record 19.4C (67F) on the island of Kodiak on Sunday - almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high. |
| But elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows. | But elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows. |
| In the south-eastern town of Ketchikan, temperatures dropped to -18C (-0.4F) on 25 December - one of the town's coldest Christmas Days in the past century. | In the south-eastern town of Ketchikan, temperatures dropped to -18C (-0.4F) on 25 December - one of the town's coldest Christmas Days in the past century. |
| The weather extremes have prompted warnings of an "Icemageddon" from authorities, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads. | The weather extremes have prompted warnings of an "Icemageddon" from authorities, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads. |
| Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air - usually cold and dry during December - more moist. This has meant heavy rain and snow storms are more likely in interior regions, away from the balmy coastal areas. | Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air - usually cold and dry during December - more moist. This has meant heavy rain and snow storms are more likely in interior regions, away from the balmy coastal areas. |
| Heavy snowfall was followed by torrential rain that left the region coated with ice as the rain quickly froze, resulting in widespread power failures, road closures and offices being shut. | Heavy snowfall was followed by torrential rain that left the region coated with ice as the rain quickly froze, resulting in widespread power failures, road closures and offices being shut. |
| Thick ice formed on roads and made them treacherous for drivers, warned the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. | Thick ice formed on roads and made them treacherous for drivers, warned the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. |
| "Ice is extremely difficult to remove once it has binded to the road surface. Even though air temps were warm... roads were at sub-zero temps, which caused ice to bind to the surface," the department said on Twitter. | "Ice is extremely difficult to remove once it has binded to the road surface. Even though air temps were warm... roads were at sub-zero temps, which caused ice to bind to the surface," the department said on Twitter. |
| The ice would likely cling to the roads until at least March or April, Climate Scientist Rick Thoman, of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told the BBC. | The ice would likely cling to the roads until at least March or April, Climate Scientist Rick Thoman, of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told the BBC. |
| Winter lives: Tuesday 225pm twilight and -40F/C at Nuiqsut (North Slope). #akwx @Climatologist49 pic.twitter.com/8B3tST8MLL | Winter lives: Tuesday 225pm twilight and -40F/C at Nuiqsut (North Slope). #akwx @Climatologist49 pic.twitter.com/8B3tST8MLL |
| The fiercest mid-winter storm since 1937 struck the central city of Fairbanks over Christmas, dumping more than 10in (25.4cm) of snow, Mr Thoman explained. | The fiercest mid-winter storm since 1937 struck the central city of Fairbanks over Christmas, dumping more than 10in (25.4cm) of snow, Mr Thoman explained. |
| So much snow fell on Sunday it caved in the roof of the only grocery shop in the town of Delta Junction, 95 miles (153km) south-east of Fairbanks. | So much snow fell on Sunday it caved in the roof of the only grocery shop in the town of Delta Junction, 95 miles (153km) south-east of Fairbanks. |
| Mr Thoman said the blasts of extreme warm and cold temperatures over the past two decades were a sign of climate change. | Mr Thoman said the blasts of extreme warm and cold temperatures over the past two decades were a sign of climate change. |
| "When all the pieces come together in a warming world we're going to get these unprecedented events, that's what we expect," he said. | "When all the pieces come together in a warming world we're going to get these unprecedented events, that's what we expect," he said. |
| The cold is set to return - temperatures in Fairbanks are forecast to drop to below -29C (-20F) this weekend. | The cold is set to return - temperatures in Fairbanks are forecast to drop to below -29C (-20F) this weekend. |
| But warm, soggy episodes are likely to be more common in the future, Mr Thoman predicted. | But warm, soggy episodes are likely to be more common in the future, Mr Thoman predicted. |
| "2021 really seems to be the year these extreme precipitation events have really come to the fore," he told the BBC. | "2021 really seems to be the year these extreme precipitation events have really come to the fore," he told the BBC. |
| You might also be interested in: | You might also be interested in: |
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| "This could be gone in five to 10 years" - what Alaska’s shrinking island means for all of us | "This could be gone in five to 10 years" - what Alaska’s shrinking island means for all of us |
| "This could be gone in five to 10 years" - what Alaska’s shrinking island means for all of us |