It got up to 88 degrees in Fairbanks on Sunday, the 12th day this summer it’s crested 85 – an all time record.
It’s been 80 or warmer on 28 days so far according to the National Weather Service. That ties the summer of 1990 for second place, and is just two days short of the record thirty 80 degree days logged in 2004.
Weather Service meteorologist Bob Fisher says it all about high pressure systems.
“A much larger number of days than usual where we have a strong ridge of high pressure aloft,” Fisher said. “That sort of creates a big dome of warm air.”
Fisher says the warm air combined with abundant sunshine causes it to heat up at the surface. He says very few areas of low pressure have tracked in from the west this summer.
“And of course we’ve also had relatively few thunderstorms, at least in the local area, so we haven’t had much afternoon relief there from a shower,” Fisher said. “But mainly it’s been the much higher-than-usual predominance of the strong upper air ridge aloft.”
Fairbanks has a chance to add to its tally of 80 degree days this week. The forecast calls for daily highs to hit the mark through Saturday.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
