Warmer-than-usual temperatures headed for Southcentral Alaska

Southcentral Alaska is expected to see warmer-than-usual temperatures starting Tuesday.

Temperatures will likely be in the mid to upper-70s for the rest of the week in Anchorage, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Virginia Rux. Some parts of East Anchorage may even hit 80 degrees toward the end of the week, she said.

“It’s definitely warmer than normal,” Rux said.

Temperatures in the Susitna Valley and northern Kenai Peninsula could also hit the low 80s by the end of the week, while the southern Kenai Peninsula is more likely to see temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s, she said.

Normal temperatures this time of year tend to be in the mid to upper-60s, Rux said.

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The forecast follows an unseasonably warm late spring for the area. In the last half of May, the daily average temperature for Anchorage was five to 10 degrees warmer than normal, Rux said. Daily highs in June were also above-normal, including some days that broke records, until a cooler weather arrived over the past few days.

There’s also a possibility of thunderstorms Tuesday, though not necessarily in the Anchorage Bowl, Rux said. The storms may reach across the Talkeetna Mountains, the Susitna and Copper River Basins, the northern Chugach Mountains and possibly parts of the northern Kenai Peninsula.