High North News

2025 was Alaska’s 8th hottest year on record

Linn Ophaug
melting sea ice alaska

Alaska experienced its eighth warmest year on record in 2025, Alaska Public Media reports.

A new research report finds that warming was particularly pronounced in the northern part of the state. Utqiaġvik had the highest temperature anomalies, about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

The report points to shrinking sea ice as a key finding. Alaska's sea ice reached its annual maximum in March at just over 5.5 million square miles - the lowest ice maximum recorded in 47 years.

"It's still a large area, but less than in any year previously observed. We are on track to an ice-free Arctic later this century," researcher Falk Stuefer told the newspaper.

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  • Russian aircrafts operating off of Alaska

    Hilde-Gunn Bye

    The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked Russian aircrafts operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on February 19, the command informs in a press release.

    The Russian aircrafts were two Tu-95s, two Su-35s, and one A-50.

    NORAD launched two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3, and four KC-135s to intercept, positively identify, and escort the aircraft until they departed the Alaskan ADIZ.

    "The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat," NORAD states in the press release.

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