heat wave and forest fires in Alaska as temperatures hit 90 degrees on Independence Day

It is about 80 degrees inside Brian Brettschneider Anchorage, Alaska at home, but can not open his window. Smoke drifts into town from the nearby Swan Lake wildfire, and tries to keep the ashes from his home. In the distance, the mountains outside the city are hidden by smoke. The temperature rose to 90 degrees Celsius for the first time in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday to decimate the previous record of 85 degrees. This year, the state experienced its hottest June on record, according to their hottest spring on record. At the same time, the state experienced forest fires much more widespread, the vegetation to eat to have been killed by the heat and spruce bark beetle through parched that thrive in warmer temperatures. Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, says that 634,000 acres in Alaska were burned by fires this year, a research climatologist at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks warns compared to about 411,000 acres around 2018. Brettschneider , time extreme weather conditions it is only likely to get in the region. “It ‘s extremely challenging given a specific event to climate change. But having said that, it is much more likely for these types of events in a warming world to come,” says Brettschneider. Anderson says once the increase in global temperature extreme weather events worse. “And ‘certainly add to it, no doubt,” says Anderson. “It is not as rare as it used to be.” In Alaska, temperatures are driven by warmer water and reduced sea ice up, says Anderson. In the northern parts of the state, the permafrost melts and released methane gas, which further contributes to climate change. This summer https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1147170230134804480 warmer temperatures they have the worst effect in the southern two thirds of Alaska, including Anchorage, says Anderson. A week ago, temperatures in the state capital, Juneau, beat the record of three days in a row, according to Anderson. The fire damper on Independence Day celebrations in the city. Anchorage canceled show the annual extravaganza of community and a ban on burning released, fire, fire, kitchen open flame fire The Anchorage Police Department that more police officers warned not allowed to be on duty would enforce the ban . “Risking does not burn our beautiful city,” police wrote in a message to the public. Anderson warns that while Alaska expect lower temperatures in the middle of next week to see, not to cool things down very soon – the state expect above average temperatures range in the fall to see. Brettschneider they argue that, like climate change, the people in Alaska – and across the country – must learn to adapt to the changing conditions. In Alaska, he said, the state has already started to build bigger culvert on the streets to make sure they can handle increased precipitation. “They will be built cities, largely because of the environment they exist in. In Alaska, probably zero homes combined central air conditioning. Throughout the state. Since the climate is that we live in – or we live before,” said Brettschneirder He said. “We need to rethink the way we build cities for the future.”
Picture copyright by Lance King Getty Images