The National Weather Service issues Alaska's first ever heat advisory

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 7:37 PM EDT, June 13, 2025


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — For the first time ever, parts of Alaska will be under a heat advisory — but you can put an asterisk at the end of that term.

It’s not the first instance of unusually high temperatures in what many consider the nation’s coldest state, but the National Weather Service only recently allowed for heat advisories to be issued there. Information on similarly warm weather conditions previously came in the form of “special weather statements.”

Using the heat advisory label could help people better understand the weather’s severity and potential danger, something a nondescript “special weather statement” didn’t convey.

The first advisory is for Sunday in Fairbanks, where temperatures are expected to top 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). Fairbanks has has been warmer in the past, but this is unusual for June, officials said.

Here’s what to know about Alaska’s inaugural heat advisory:

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/alaska-first-ever-heat-advisory-df913edec183efd7b1b800fab33ff1ad

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The NWS normally updates their criteria for what will trigger a Watch, Advisory, Warning, or Emergency. This applies to temp, wind, precipitation (rain, snow), things that might impact visibility (e.g., fog, dust, smoke, squalls), tropical cyclones, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and combos (e.g., blizzards, etc). Other conditions can often be covered via a "Special Weather Statement".

In this case, they apparently lowered the criteria to declare a Heat Advisory in AK as such temps were rare but are now becoming more common (and prolonged).