As Planet Warms, Has Anchorage Become a Post-Sub-Zero City?

2014 was the first calendar year that saw no sub-zero temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: Nano Anderson/flickr/cc)

As Planet Warms, Has Anchorage Become a Post-Sub-Zero City?

2014 is first-ever calendar year without sub-zero temperatures in Alaskan city, National Weather Service finds

As 2014 draws to a close, it seems likely to be the first calendar year that recorded no sub-zero temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska, the National Weather Service reported Sunday.

The news of warm weather in a cold town comes shortly after NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration both confirmed that 2014 is set to be the warmest year in recorded human history.

According to NWS, the last time that Anchorage saw temperatures that dropped below zero was December 26, 2013--although the city briefly hit zero degrees exactly on February 11 of this year. The balmy forecast for the next few days means it is safe to say Anchorage will not see any negative temperatures before the year is up, NWS meteorologist Mike Ottenweller told the Alaska Dispatch News.

"With as much certainty as a meteorologist can put behind anything, there is no chance we will go below zero before the end of the year," Ottenweller said.

This is not the first time in recent history that Anchorage has seen long-term warm temperatures, having gone without sub-zero days from January 18, 2000 to November 30, 2001. However, the relatively warm temperatures mean that 2014 is the first calendar year, from January 1 to December 31, that the NWS will likely not record a single sub-zero day in the Alaskan city since the service began tracking temperature in 1952.

In every other calendar year, Anchorage averaged 25 sub-zero days between the cold seasons at the beginning and end of the year.

"It's strange to think about it," Ottenweller told ADN. "Because you're basically spanning two winters."

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.