The Nation - News from July 8, 1986

Temperatures soared to 93 degrees in Bettles, Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle, as the state was gripped by a heat wave. Nenana in central Alaska reported 95 degrees, hotter than Miami Beach, Fla. For nine consecutive days, Fairbanks, also in central Alaska, had highs averaging 87 degrees; the normal high is 73 degrees. It drops to 50 below there in winter, giving the city a temperature spread of 137 degrees. The unusual weather was attributed to a warm air mass that is heated by 22 hours of sunshine daily. The heat spawned lightning strikes that started fires throughout the state.