When I moved to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula twenty years ago the growing zone was 3B. Now the growing zone map has Kenai Alaska at 5A. Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in the 2012 edition of the map had already shifted in many areas. The 2012 map is generally one 5°F half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. Here is a link to the 2012 map...garden.org/…
In 2023 the winter “minus” weather — when the temperature is below zero — has not gotten colder than -25 giving us a 5A growing zone. Here is a link to the 2023 USDA Growing zone map...planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. This means in twenty years we have lost twenty degrees of the “minus” weather and gained about twenty to thirty days more of growing season. The warmer summers are still a little spotty. Two years ago we were at 70-75 degrees in late July early August. Last summer the temperatures struggled to reach 70 degrees.
Today’s forecast: Scattered snow showers before 3pm, then scattered rain and snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 37. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. This is November 26, what little snow we have is melting. The Cook Inlet has no ice and the mountains are not covered in snow.
Right now it’s raining, for the third day in a row. Raining. In Alaska in late November. We just got through a 48-hour period with the temperatures above freezing. Tonight it’s supposed to freeze, but not deeply.
I know this is weather and not climate but weather is a symptom of climate behavior. This weather is not, repeat, NOT normal.