Not a Day Below Zero in Anchorage this Year

Photo Credit: Mark Newman Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

Photo Credit: Mark Newman Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

The coldest it has been on this day in Anchorage, Alaska, since 1954 is 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The coldest it has been on New Year’s Eve in that same time period is even colder: -25. But this year, the lows are expected to be 33 and 27 degrees respectively — meaning that 2014 will be the first year on record that the temperature didn’t drop below zero.

As Alaska Dispatch News notes, the last time the temperature was below zero (again: in Fahrenheit) was Dec. 26, 2013. That was the tail end of a cold snap, of the kind not uncommon in winter — particularly in Alaska. But ever since, temperatures have been above zero according to readings taken at the airport, with low temperatures reaching zero only once, on February 11.

Complete annual records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration begin on Jan. 1, 1954. Since then, the number of days Anchorage went below zero each year has dropped from an average of 33.2 in the 1960s to 16 in the 2000s. The year with the second-fewest below-zero days was 2002. (Read more on how there wasn’t one day below zero in Anchorage, Alaska HERE)

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Temps plunge U.S. into deep freeze, with snow for Las Vegas

By Mark Guarino. As colder-than-average temperatures locked large swaths of the United States into a deep freeze Tuesday, snow was likely in an unlikely place – Las Vegas. . .

The NWS said Las Vegas temperatures fell below freezing Monday and would continue through Thursday at an average low of 30 degrees. Up to 3 inches of snow was expected by Tuesday night.

“Many tourists who come to Las Vegas may be unprepared for the true winter-like conditions this storm could bring with it,” the NWS said in a statement. “Travel conditions could be difficult, if not impossible, on area roads.”

Las Vegas does not have snowplows but the Nevada Department of Transportation said it has six snowplows at the ready if the snow poses a significant threat to roads. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting about 340,000 visitors for New Year’s Eve celebrations, it said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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