A severe drought has returned to Alaska for the first time since 2019

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Rain has been hard to come by and that continues to be the ongoing story for much of the state.

The newest drought monitor is once again showing an expansion of the moderate drought and a new severe drought that’s occurring in parts of the Susitna Valley. While daily mountain showers have been occurring over the mountains, we’ll need several days of rainfall to alleviate any drought conditions across the state. Until then, the drought will continue to play a huge role in wildfires across the state, which has burned nearly 900,000 acres thus far.

Looking ahead through the rest of the month, the southern coastline of Alaska looks to continue to experience abnormally dry conditions. While some shower activity can be expected, the weather pattern keeps most of the rain away from the aforementioned area. On the other hand, there is a shift towards wetter weather for Southwest Alaska and areas north of the Alaska Range. This trend of more rain will certainly help the growing drought problem, but keep in mind any thunderstorms could spark a wildfire.

Temperatures over the next week across Southcentral and Southeast Alaska will vary from the 50s to the 70s. The warmest stretch for Southeast will occur today and tomorrow, with cooler weather and rain into the weekend. Meanwhile, the warmest stretch for Southcentral looks to arrive next week as the mid 70s make a return.

Have a wonderful time!

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