Snow-covered Alaska is slowly becoming a myth. According to new images, the frozen region is slowly turning into a green landscape.

Alaska is a state of the United States of America. It is also one of the wealthiest and most racially diverse states in the United States. It is located in the northwesternmost part of the North American continent and, with an area of 1,477,261 km², it is the largest state in the United States of America. It is more than twice the size of the second largest state, Texas.

Greening Alaska

Snow-covered Alaska is slowly becoming a myth. According to new images, the frozen region is slowly turning into a green landscape.

Alaska is a state of the United States of America. It is also one of the wealthiest and most racially diverse states in the United States. It is located in the northwesternmost part of the North American continent and, with an area of 1,477,261 km², it is the largest state in the United States of America. It is more than twice the size of the second largest state, Texas.

The English name "Alaska" is derived from the word Alaskax (Alyeska), which in the native Eskimo language Aleut means " Land that is not an island ".

Unusual weather and climate change are not leaving Alaska untouched. According to new satellite images, the region has undergone a drastic transformation.

Instead of a thick layer of snow, Alaska has vast areas of bare ground. The drastic rapid melting of snowpack and the lack of new winter precipitation could have a number of serious consequences.

Almost no snow

NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites took satellite images of southern Alaska's Bristol Bay area, showing very little snow. Anchorage has averaged 13 inches of snow depth over the past 27 years, but this year saw very little snow.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, temperatures across the state are 3 to 6°C above normal as of December 2024, with even greater anomalies occurring in select areas.

As the climate changes, Arctic regions like Alaska are starting to warm up. Temperatures in these places are rising up to four times faster than in lower latitudes. For example, in January 2025, Anchorage averaged -1.5°C, an incredible 7.2°C above the long-term average. This was the largest recorded deviation from the norm compared to 36 other states.

Changing climate

Higher temperatures are making it harder to maintain a thick layer of snow. Unusual weather patterns in the North Pacific this winter have contributed to a marine heat wave. The heatwave has also affected Alaska due to air circulation.

Climate change is also increasingly destroying sea ice, which acts as a protective shield and reflects sunlight back into space. However, melting ice and darker water surfaces absorb radiation, causing it to warm more quickly. This is why regions of the world are shifting from cold to warm climates due to climate change.

Temperature forecasts for the near future in Alaska do not look optimistic. The influx of Arctic air will not last long. Alaska will warm up again by the end of February.