The northernmost city in the United States has just experienced its final sunrise of the season and will now enjoy perpetual daylight for 84 consecutive days. Utqiaġvik, Alaska, situated in the Arctic Circle at the northern tip of the state, undergoes extended periods of continuous daylight during spring and summer each year. On Sunday at 2:57 a.m. local time, the sun rose over Utqiaġvik after briefly dipping below the horizon for about an hour. The city will not witness another sunset until August 2.
What Is the Midnight Sun?
This annual phenomenon of unending daylight is referred to as the 'midnight sun' or a 'polar day,' according to the National Weather Service. All cities, towns, and communities located within the Arctic Circle experience this occurrence because the Earth's tilted axis points the northern hemisphere toward the sun during this part of the planet's orbit. Alaska is the only U.S. state to experience the midnight sun, but parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia also witness it.
A time-lapse camera pointed at the sky in these regions would capture the sun rotating in a circle rather than rising in the east, climbing across the sky, and setting in the west, as it does in most parts of the world.
Cold Despite Continuous Light
Despite the nonstop sunlight, Utqiaġvik is expected to remain quite cold throughout the midnight sun period. July is typically the warmest month in the region, with a historical high temperature of just 49°F (9°C), according to AccuWeather. Occasionally, temperatures can climb to around 70°F (21°C), but it is more common for snowfall to continue through the summer months. Snowflakes were reported on seven days last June, as per AccuWeather.
Once the 84 days of the midnight sun conclude, it will still take nearly two months for Utqiaġvik to experience full nighttime darkness. Until September 21—50 days after the polar day season ends on August 2—the sun will only dip below the horizon without fully setting. The light conditions at night in Utqiaġvik during this period will resemble an extended dusk.
Other Alaskan Cities
Other Alaskan cities, such as Fairbanks, have also begun their midnight sun seasons, though none will be as lengthy as Utqiaġvik's because it is the farthest north. Fairbanks will experience 70 days of perpetual sunlight compared to Utqiaġvik's 84. Anchorage, the largest city in the state, is located much further south near the Gulf of Alaska. It will not experience a full midnight sun, but the days will become significantly longer, stretching from 16 to 19 hours.
Winter Darkness
During the winter, Utqiaġvik and other cities in the Arctic Circle experience a parallel opposite phenomenon, where they are plunged into darkness for 64 consecutive days. That annual period begins with a final sunset on November 18, and the sun finally rises again on January 22 or 23.
