AK Temperatures 5-15 F Above Avg. This Winter; Bering Sea Ice Breaking Up, Open Water Near Barrow

Temperatures soared to near the freezing mark late last week at the nation's northernmost town of Utquagvik, formerly known as Barrow, Alaska. Temperatures held for several days in the 20s and 30s, which is between 30 and 40 degrees above average. And this isn't the town's first heat wave this year.

In fact, temperatures in Utqiagvik have been running well above average since the beginning of the year. Most of Alaska has had a warm start to 2019. Only the Alaska panhandle has experienced average temperatures. These warmer temperatures combined with increased storminess during the last couple of weeks have caused sea ice to retreat northward and thin.

Link to tweet

Open water has even been observed near Utqiagvik (Ed. - Barrow) due to the recent weather pattern. Temperatures have fallen back into the minus 20s in recent days, but another wave of comparative warmth — teens above zero — is on the way.

The warmth over Alaska has been driven by a big bulge in the jet stream as far north as the Arctic Circle. The ridge in the jet stream is a symptom of the negative phase of the Pacific North American pattern, which has been holding over the continent for several weeks.

EDIT

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-02-15-alaska-warm-barrow-utqiagvik-ice