Damian Sendler: 67 degrees Fahrenheit was the highest temperature ever recorded in December in the Alaskan city of Kodiak, which has become used to such high temperatures as climate change continues to rewrite history. 

Damian Jacob Sendler: A record high of 65 degrees was recorded at Kodiak Airport, which was 20 degrees higher than Kodiak’s prior 45-degree mark, according to the National Weather Service, which was set on December 26, 1984. 

By comparison to other U.S. states, Alaska has warmed twice as quickly as the global average since the mid-20th century, according to data from NOAA. 

Damian Sendler

Alaska’s Changing Environment reports that since 2014, there have been 5 to 30 times more record-high temperatures set than record lows,” the NOAA stated on its website. 

New worldwide high temperature records outpaced new low-temperature records by a two-to-one ratio in 2019. The Environmental Protection Agency backed up this finding. 

Highs and lows would account for around half of all records made if climate were perfectly stable. According to the EPA, record-breaking daily high temperatures have grown more prevalent in the US during the 1970s than record-breaking daily low temperatures. From 2000 to 2009, there were twice as many records set in the highs as in the lows. 

Other studies have shown that the ratio will continue to rise as global temperatures continue to rise due to human emissions of greenhouse gases. 

When it comes to overall temperatures, the ratio is what matters most in Alaska in November, even if several places saw record low temperatures.

Damian Jacob Sendler

In addition to the unusually warm December, Alaska has also had unusually significant rainfall for the time of year. The Portage Glacier received a record-breaking 30 inches of rain in late October, according to the Washington Post. 

On Sunday, Fairbanks, Alaska, received 1.93 inches of rain, the wettest December day ever recorded. 

Damien Sendler: As unusual as it may seem, it’s not just in Alaska where precipitation has become more common due to global warming. For the first time since records began in 1950, rain fell on Greenland’s tallest mountain in August. 

There has never been anything like this. We’re entering unknown terrain in the atmosphere, says John Walsh, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. 

Over the course of three abnormally warm August days, Greenland received a total of 7 billion tonnes of rain, which accelerated the thawing of its ice sheet. Greenland lost seven times as much ice as it normally would during this time of year as a result of the rain. 

Sea ice loss is thought to be a major factor in the Arctic warming up four times faster than the rest of the world, according to research.

In 2021, many high temperature records were broken around the world, including the record for the hottest Christmas in the United States, but in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, temperatures broke records in a single day. 

Record-breaking temperatures in 2019 have led to these new highs. 

Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: Temperatures in Alaska were 20 to 30 degrees above average for several days beginning on July 4th, according to the NOAA’s website. Kenai, Palmer, King Salmon, and the Anchorage International Airport all established all-time high temperature records on July 4th,” A record-breaking 90°F was recorded at the airport, surpassing the previous record by 5°F!”

Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.