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Alaskans Put Away Jackets, Get Out Sunscreen Amid Heatwave

Associated Press

   ANCHORAGE - Alaskans who routinely pack knit caps and fleece jackets in
   summer on Friday were swapping them for sunscreen and parasols amid a
   prolonged heatwave.

   Residents of Anchorage and other south-central cities completed a fifth
   week of above-normal temperatures, including a record high 90 degrees
   (32.22 Celsius) on Thursday in the state's largest city.

   On Friday, as temperatures dipped just slightly, Anchorage resident
   Lucy Davidson sought relief with her grandchildren at a beach at Goose
   Lake. She said she picked up a portable air conditioner at a garage
   sale six years ago. It had not been used some summers, but it's getting
   a workout lately.

   "That thing has been a blessing," Davidson said. "It stays on
   non-stop."

   The temperature Thursday in Anchorage hit 90 degrees (32.22 Celsius) at
   Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, 5 degrees higher than the
   city's previous recorded high of 85 degrees (29.44 Celsius).

   Three other Alaska locations, Kenai, Palmer and King Salmon, set or
   tied all-time high temperature records on Thursday.

   A high pressure ridge over much of south-central Alaska is
   strengthening and responsible for the record temperatures, National
   Weather Service meteorologist Bob Clay said. Anchorage's average high
   temperature for July 4 is 75 degrees (23.89 Celsius), Clay said.

   Temperatures have been in the 70s for all but one day since June 23,
   National Weather Service meteorologist Michelle McAuley said.

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