Does 75 degrees feel really hot to you? We Alaskans are tough and resilient at 40 below but give us sunny and 70 degrees and we start to wilt. It’s no laughing matter. Heat causes health problems and kills more people worldwide than any other weather-related event.
Alaskans are prone to feeling the heat. When the sun comes out, we want to soak it all in. We spend the long summer hours outside.
Temperatures can rise abruptly and our bodies have a hard time adjusting. The sun heats us up more because of its low angle. It beats down on our whole body, not just our head. Not just our bodies get hot. Our homes get hot. They are built to keep heat in and have no air conditioning.
Alaskans experience health problems at temperatures that wouldn’t bother people in the Lower 48. Emergency room visits increase in Anchorage and the Mat-Su when temperatures exceed 70 degrees. Heat messes with our hearts, our lungs, our organs, even our brains and mental health.
People with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. Dehydrated lungs make asthma worse. Blood is pushed to the skin to dump extra heat. The heart must pump harder and this amplifies heart problems. And although we think of pneumonia as a winter disease, it increases in hot weather. Dehydrated airways are prone to infection as they struggle to keep up with an increased heart rate.
Even medications are affected by heat. Some are effective. Others counter what the body is doing to stay cool.
Heat records are being set in the Mat-Su. The hottest recorded year was 2016. The hottest month and day were in July 2019. You remember that one. Temperatures almost reached 90 degrees. Stores ran out of box fans and families crowded at lakes to cool off.
Heat events are becoming more frequent in Alaska. The National Weather Service has decided to start issuing Heat Advisories, yes Heat Advisories in Alaska. The advisories are triggered when two or more days have high temperatures.
The temperature triggers for the advisories are location specific. Heat Advisories occur in Palmer, Wasilla, or the Butte when temperatures reach 75 degrees or higher. Sutton, Chickaloon, Glacier View, and Hatcher Pass need to reach 80 degrees. Portage, the southern Kenai Peninsula, and Kachemak Bay are under Heat Advisories when temperatures reach 70 degrees.
Outdoor physical activity should be limited when there is a Heat Advisory. Stay hydrated and stay cool. Check on neighbors. Don’t leave pets and kids in vehicles.
Heat can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion causes heavy sweating, muscle cramps, dizziness, and a racing pulse. Cool down and hydrate or heat exhaustion can worsen to heat stroke.
Heat stroke is deadly. The body can’t cool down when it experiences heat stroke even if it is moved to a cool place. The victim will be feverish with dry, hot skin. Medical attention is needed quickly to prevent unconsciousness and perhaps death.
It feels great to soak up the heat but learn the danger signs and listen to Heat Advisories. Love the summer but respect the heat. Let’s celebrate and enjoy the projected warm weather and be aware of its possible effects.
More information is available at weather.gov/afc/heatadvisories
Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.
Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.
Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.
Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday July 29, 2026.
(photo credit: Musk Ox Farm, Palmer, AK)