National Weather Service: Alaska is having a warm winter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Fairbanks, Alaska, takes pride in being one of the coldest communities in the United States but this winter is proving to be uncharacteristically warm.

Fairbanks most years hits 40 below zero, but that hasn’t happened this winter. The low is a balmy minus 29 and it reflects general warm temperatures in the state.

The coldest temperature recorded in Alaska this winter is 47 below zero in the community of Arctic Village.

Rick Thoman (TOH’-man) of the National Weather Service says Alaska has had at least one recording station reach 53 degrees below zero every year in the last century.

Thoman says the warm winter is a reflection of weather, not climate change.

Persistent warm water in the North Pacific Ocean is contributing to high temperatures on land.

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