“Take extra precautions when you work in the sun. Put the sun cream and light and wide clothes. Tiring activities in the morning and evening limited“. We stop here because you can imagine what are the other advice contained in this press release of the American National Weather Service, especially if you live in a place where the extreme heat in summer is the rule.
Well: this press release is not related to Texas or Florida, but to Alaska, which For the first time in its history it had to issue a weather alert for excessive heat.
The damage of the heat in Alaska. The alert dates back to June 16th And it refers in particular to the cities of Fairbanks and Anchorage, where in these days they have touched temperatures unthinkable for the area: the thermometer has come to exceed 30 ° C in Fairbanks, a heat never seen for the month of June. A further alert was issued the next day, while at the time we write, on June 20, the temperatures seem to have returned under control.
This does not mean that the heat wave He has not caused damage and is not having consequences: still today, the entire area of Fairbanks is “attentive” for possible extreme thunderstormsand the mountains north of the city are a Risk floods. This is because we are talking about areas where the snow also resists in summer: with too hot, it risks melting and, precisely, cause floods.
Is it just the beginning? It is possible that if you live in areas where the heat comes to overcome 40 ° C, you are wondering if it is not excessive to issue a weather alert for a temperature of “only” 30 ° C. The reason for this choice was explained, among other things, on Bluesky by Brian Brettschneider, Climatologist of the NWS: «Each city is built according to its climatic conditions: the houses in Alaska are made to retain the heat and are without air conditioning“. In short, they are not suitable houses to endure these temperatures.
It is not the first time that in Alaska in summer it is hottest than expected, but it is the first time that it is hot enough to convince the National Weather Service to issue a weather alert. A situation that could occur more and more often In the next few years, if you consider that Alaska is heating at a rhythm two or three times higher than the global average.
