As temperatures rise across the West Coast, potentially breaking records across California, it’s a different story farther north in Alaska. Thanks to a combination of dangerously low temperatures and bitter winds, bone-chilling weather has overtaken the Last Frontier this week.
Bettles, Alaska, located in the north-central part of the state, had a low temperature of 51 degrees below zero Fahrenheit Sunday morning, well below the average of 15 below zero F this time of year. During the day Sunday, the afternoon temperature barely peaked at 25 below zero F. Prudhoe Bay, situated on the state’s northeast coast, had similar conditions with a morning low of 47 below zero and a daytime high of 27 below zero, both well below the average low of 21 below zero F.
On Monday morning, the remote northern town of Deadhorse reached 50 below zero, with gusty winds bringing the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature to as low as 88 below zero. Believe it or not, that’s not the coldest it’s ever felt in Deadhorse. A RealFeel of 101 below zero occurred on Jan. 28, 1989. (RealFeel was introduced by AccuWeather in 1997 but can be estimated using historical data).