Experts say 2016 smashed previous records for Alaska’s hottest year on record

2016 was the warmest year on record statewide and in several communities, including Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) and Kotzebue. The warmth contributed to several other records around the state, including the earliest breakup of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers in Circle and Bethel, respectively, and the earliest greenup, in Fairbanks.
(Image courtesy of NOAA)2016 was the warmest year in Alaska since the National Weather Service began keeping records in the state more than a century ago. Two weather-