If you thought Homer felt a bit warmer than usual last year, you aren’t alone.
According to the National Weather Service, 2016 was the second warmest year on record in Homer, coming in just shy of the 2014 record.
Rick Thoman is the Climate Science and Services Manager for the National Weather Service in Alaska. The last several years have broken Homer temperature records dating back to the 1930s.
“The last three years – 2014, 2015 and 2016 – are the three warmest years on record,” said Thoman.
In comparison to the last 30 years, temperatures in Homer last year were 4.5 degrees above normal.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but averaged over a whole year, that’s actually a really remarkably large departure, especially for a place like Homer that has a fairly maritime climate,” said Thoman.
Last year brought record-breaking temperatures to areas across the state. In over two dozen communities, including Kenai, 2016 was the warmest year ever recorded.
