Is Alaska Getting Warmer? Why the State’s Heat Advisories Are Historic

When you think of the state of Alaska, you probably imagine the massive glaciers at Glacier National Park, or else the bears and other wild animals that call the state home. But one of the things you likely leave out when imagining the picturesque state is the heat.

That's because Alaska has long been known for its cooler temperatures, where summer temps hover between 50-70 degrees on average.

Is Alaska getting warmer? According to the experts at the National Weather Service (NWS), temperatures in Alaska are changing. Continue reading to find out how and what they predict the future holds for the Last Frontier.

Folks living in Alaska in June 2025 saw something unusual for the state by way of an unofficial heatwave. According to USA Today, temperatures climbed into the upper 80s across much of the state, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory.

This marked the first time in the state's history that the NWS had to do such a thing, raising concerns about the climbing temperatures across the state, which has such a large swath of frozen land.

Temperatures are in fact rising in the state, according to experts with The Fifth National Climate Assessment, who say that Alaska is heating up an average of two- to three-times faster than the average they're seeing around the rest of the world.

But these changes aren't new; they've been happening over the past few decades, warming the water around the state, melting the glaciers and sea ice floating offshore, and creating a dangerous environment for the residents who call the state home.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) released a prediction for Alaska, saying that the state would likely see an end to sea ice in the summer by the middle of this century. This reduction in sea ice is expected to negatively affect coastal erosion since it's no longer there to help impede the damage done by the waves that accompany incoming storms.

Coastal areas aren't the only ones that could be threatened, though. The EDF says that melting permafrost could cause widespread damage.

Unexpected permafrost thawing is predicted to cause uneven grounds, which the EDF says could cause problems within the state's infrastructure that it estimates would cost $6 billion to fix over a 20-year period.

And that thawing land won't just become uneven, it could also lead to more wildfires in the state. The additional cost, when combined with the potential for loss of human life, could make that bill climb even higher for the state.

While residents of Alaska may be scared by this news, they shouldn't panic yet. Some world leaders are still very focused on reducing their country's reliance on fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the environment, worsening global conditions.

If they're successful, these predictions for Alaska may not come to fruition.