PlainHazard

Alaska heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 5 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 32 heat records in Alaska from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 1.0 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 24, 2000 heat: 1 death. Alaska ranks 50th of 51 states and territories by count and 50th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Alaska, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
321996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
1.0average
Deaths
10 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
199631 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Alaska?

Alaska averages about 1.0 heat records a year since 2000, 50th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (31). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alaska records 0.6 heat records since 1996, 50th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 50. Alaska 0.6

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Alaska have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Skagway Municipality leads Alaska: 4 days with a heat record since 1996, 9.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area has the most heat records (18 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Skagway Municipality 9.0 (4)
  2. Haines Borough 4.7 (11)
  3. Juneau City and Borough 4.1 (11)
  4. Sitka City and Borough 3.8 (14)
  5. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area 2.6 (18)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Alaska?

88% of its heat records since 1996 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (23 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 23 · Jun 5 · Jul 1 · Aug 1 · Sep 2 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Alaska?

Alaska: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-06-24 HeatKuskokwim Delta · forecast zone Kuskokwim Delta Record heat was recorded at Bethel Saturday. Temperatures there reached 80 degrees F.20 miles upriver along the Kuskokwim River, near the village of Akiachak, a 6 year old boy was playing in the river with friends and disappeared. The body was found at about 10 pm Saturday. 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Alaska?

Alaska's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Alaska and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeAlaskaUnited StatesAlaska's share
1996-99314,3550.71%
2000s19,1630.01%
2010s016,4450
2020-26026,7960

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Alaska

The 1 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-06-24 HeatKuskokwim Delta · forecast zone Kuskokwim Delta 1 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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