Alaska city won't see the sun for the next 64 days
Seen from an aerial view, homes stand along the Arctic Ocean on August 10, 2023 in Utqiagvik, Alaska. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
UTQIAGVIK, Alaska - Utqiagvik, Alaska has seen its last sunrise this year; America's northernmost settlement will not see the Sun again until Jan. 22, 2026, as Polar Night begins in the Arctic Circle.
Due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, the Sun will not rise above the horizon in Utqiagvik for the next 64 days. But the Alaskan borough will not be in complete darkness and will experience a few hours of what's known as civil twilight, which is the pale blue light normally seen before dawn.
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Utqiagvik is about 500 miles northwest of Fairbanks, and is home to roughly 4,400 people, with archeological sites dating back to 500 CE, according to the city's website.
Alaskan city braces for two months without sunlight
Weather satellite timelapse imagery captures the final sunset of the year over Utqiagvik, Alaska’s northernmost city, on Tuesday, November 18. (Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful)
Without the light of the Sun and daytime heating, temperatures plummet during Polar Night across the Arctic Circle.
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The Polar Night phenomenon also plays a role in the formation of the Polar Vortex, an area of low pressure containing extremely cold air in the Earth's stratosphere.
Without sunlight, this region above the layer of atmosphere where weather occurs, the troposphere, becomes extremely cold. Although occasionally, this arctic air seeps below the stratosphere and is able to move south over the Lower 48.
While winters in Utqiagvik feature more than 60 days of darkness, in the summer, the city experiences nearly three months of total sunlight.
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In the warmer months, Utqiagvik is also home to America's northernmost football team, during football season at Barrow High School.
The city's next sunrise will be approximately 1:23 p.m. local time on Jan. 26, 2026.
Read more of this story from FOX Weather.