The reading in Alaska on the day after Christmas was 67 degrees.
The statewide temperature record for December was set on Sunday from a tidal station on Kodiak Island.
The temperature at the station in southern Alaska went from 60 degrees on Monday to 55 degrees on Tuesday, according to a climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy.
He said it was in late December. I wouldn't have thought that was possible.
There were weather records broken this month in towns along the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. The temperature in Unalaska, Alaska, on Christmas Day appeared to be the highest ever, according to Mr. Thoman.
Scientists say it's clear that heat waves around the world are growing more frequent, longer lasting and more dangerous, but it's difficult to get a single heat wave to change climate change.
It can be hard for civilians to keep track of new weather records that are piling up quickly. Last year was the hottest on record, and 19 of the 20 warmest years have occurred this century.
The average temperature for the contiguous United States on Christmas Day was the third warmest since 1900, according to an analysis by Brian Brettschneider.
The state of Alaska is known for its bitter cold and is currently experiencing a record heat wave. Alaska is warming faster than the rest of the United States and is already suffering from flooding, erosion and other signs of a changing climate.
In 2015, President Barack Obama used the state as a backdrop for a speech that called climate change the defining challenge of the century and recognized America's role in creating it.
He said that climate change is happening here and that it is not a distant problem. We are not acting fast enough.
The recent heat wave in some parts of Alaska was caused by a mass of high-pressure air hovering over the northeastern Pacific Ocean. A heat dome that settled above the Pacific Northwest shattered records and caused roads to buckle in Portland, Ore.
In recent days, parts of Alaska have experienced record amounts of rain. The water on the roads could stay frozen until March, and that is a problem because it will leave water on roads.
He said there have been cases in recent years where ice accumulated in November caused accidents. That is going to be a persistent hazard.
The heat wave did not affect the whole state. Mr. Brettschneider told Alaska Public Media that the southeastern city of Ketchikan is on track to have its lowest December temperature since 1933. The weekend would bring temperatures much below normal to parts of the Alaskan mainland.
Mr. Thoman shared a photo of a dark night in the town of Nuiqsut. He said the temperature there was minus 40 degrees.
He wrote that winter lives.
