February Was Warmest on Record in Alaska
Yereth Rosen
Alaska Dispatch News
March 10, 2016
This February was the warmest ever recorded in Alaska, and it capped a three-month winter period that was the second-warmest on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.
From December to February, temperatures across the state averaged 14.2 degrees — 10.6 degrees higher than the long-term average, said the monthly report, issued by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. In the 92 years since recordkeeping began, only one other December-to-February period was warmer. That was the winter of 2000-01, which saw a statewide average of 15 degrees.
This February was particularly warm statewide, with an average temperature of 17.2 degrees, compared to the 20th-century average of 4.8 degrees, according to the centers’ database.