ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A warmer and wetter winter than normal is expected in Alaska, according to federal weather forecasters.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration released the winter outlook following an unusually warm summer, news agencies reported.
The above-normal temperature prediction for Alaska’s winter is in large part due to a lack of sea ice, which is expected to result in warmer water that sustains higher land temperatures into the winter, NOAA said.
Alaska’s winter will be wetter than normal because warmer air holds more moisture. The state’s temperatures are still expected to be below the freezing point and periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are predicted, the agency said.
NOAA issues a three-month outlook each month and the next update is expected Nov. 21.