NPR wasn't kidding: Move to Alaska if you want to avoid the harsh winter in the rest of the US. Here's proof: A road in Alaska flooded by snow melted by the high temperatures, 40 degrees above normal for this time of year. The temperatures are wreaking havoc in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
As The Atlantic Cities points out, the freakishly high temperatures are messing with daily life in Alaska. Skiing competitions have been cancelled, and the 2014 Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race had to launch from a new location because its traditional starting point, a frozen river, had thawed out so much it was dangerous to walk on. This NASA temperature map, recorded from January 23 to January 30, shows just how bizarrely hot it's been: areas of normal temperature are in white, and the deeper the red, the higher the temperature above average.
NASA says that persistent high-pressure areas off the Pacific Coast pushed warm air up to Alaska instead of California where it usually lands. On January 27, the temperature in Port Alsworth tied the highest January temperature ever recorded in the state, and many other towns set January records.
Here's an image shared of the January meltdown in Mat-Su Valley, made by Nate Atwood and posted in the US National Weather Service's Facebook page:
Those temps led to some serious problems, including this avalanche that dumped up to 100 feet of snow on Richardson Highway, the only road to the town of Valdez, Alaska.
Climate change, schlimate change, right?
Images: AP, NASA