Heat Causes Issues during Alaska's Famous Iditarod Race
2023-03-14
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1Competitors in this year's Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska are dealing with another struggle along the trail - unusually high temperatures.
2Jason Mackey leads one of the dogsled teams.
3He told The Associated Press a thermometer attached to his sled hit 26.67 degrees Celsius at one point last week.
4The weather is usually very cold.
5The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a sport better-fitted to temperatures well below zero.
6Mackey and other racers had to reconsider their usual plans to deal with the heat and poor trail conditions during the 1,609-kilometer race across Alaska.
7Although it is warm along the race path, it was not that warm in interior Alaska, said Brian Brettschneider.
8He is a climate scientist with the National Weather Service in Alaska.
9The thermometer on the sled had been in the sun so it could not did not provide an official reading, Brettschneider noted.
10However, the warm and sunny conditions are still having clear effects on the people experiencing it, he added.
11Not that long ago, the same area was much cooler than normal, which appeared to improve racing conditions.
12The warmer conditions have been driven by an area of high pressure, Brettschneider said.
13Many communities in America's largest state hit record highs last week.
14Along the Iditarod trail, the community of McGrath did not set any records.
15But, it hit a high Wednesday of 2.22 degrees Celsius.
16The low in the area was 2.78 degrees.
17Normally at this time of year it is about -18 degrees, Brettschneider said.
18Effects of the warmth have been seen all along the Iditarod trail.
19"There's almost no places that were below freezing...," Brettschneider said.
20That was not news to Mackey.
21"I wish the temperatures would cool down," he said.
22Mackey added that the heat had created other issues also.
23At one point on the path, he saw two mosquitoes on his sled.
24"Yeah, it's spring," Mackey said.
25Mackey said the heat has definitely affected the performance of his dogs, whom he calls "big boys."
26Each weigh more than 36 kilograms.
27Mackey noted that while other teams were moving in the heat of the day, he was not willing to do that.
28"I mean, it zaps them," he said of the dog team.
29Kelly Maixner, a children's doctor, said his dogs do not like the heat.
30He would rather have it be -28.89 degrees Celsius.
31The race started March 5 in Willow, just north of the state's largest city, Anchorage.
32The dog teams will cross over two mountain areas, the frozen Yukon River and the Bering Sea ice before reaching the finish line in the small town of Nome.
33The winner is expected to be announced sometime this week.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Competitors in this year's Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska are dealing with another struggle along the trail - unusually high temperatures. 2Jason Mackey leads one of the dogsled teams. He told The Associated Press a thermometer attached to his sled hit 26.67 degrees Celsius at one point last week. The weather is usually very cold. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a sport better-fitted to temperatures well below zero. 3Mackey and other racers had to reconsider their usual plans to deal with the heat and poor trail conditions during the 1,609-kilometer race across Alaska. 4Although it is warm along the race path, it was not that warm in interior Alaska, said Brian Brettschneider. He is a climate scientist with the National Weather Service in Alaska. 5The thermometer on the sled had been in the sun so it could not did not provide an official reading, Brettschneider noted. However, the warm and sunny conditions are still having clear effects on the people experiencing it, he added. 6Not that long ago, the same area was much cooler than normal, which appeared to improve racing conditions. The warmer conditions have been driven by an area of high pressure, Brettschneider said. 7Many communities in America's largest state hit record highs last week. Along the Iditarod trail, the community of McGrath did not set any records. But, it hit a high Wednesday of 2.22 degrees Celsius. The low in the area was 2.78 degrees. Normally at this time of year it is about -18 degrees, Brettschneider said. 8Effects of the warmth have been seen all along the Iditarod trail. "There's almost no places that were below freezing...," Brettschneider said. 9That was not news to Mackey. "I wish the temperatures would cool down," he said. Mackey added that the heat had created other issues also. At one point on the path, he saw two mosquitoes on his sled. "Yeah, it's spring," Mackey said. 10Mackey said the heat has definitely affected the performance of his dogs, whom he calls "big boys." Each weigh more than 36 kilograms. Mackey noted that while other teams were moving in the heat of the day, he was not willing to do that. "I mean, it zaps them," he said of the dog team. 11Kelly Maixner, a children's doctor, said his dogs do not like the heat. He would rather have it be -28.89 degrees Celsius. 12The race started March 5 in Willow, just north of the state's largest city, Anchorage. The dog teams will cross over two mountain areas, the frozen Yukon River and the Bering Sea ice before reaching the finish line in the small town of Nome. The winner is expected to be announced sometime this week. 13I'm Bryan Lynn. 14The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 15_______________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17dogsled - n. a sled designed to be pulled by dogs 18trail - n. a path running through the countryside 19thermometer - n. a piece of equipment that measures the temperature of the air or of your body 20zap - v. to harm or destroy something in a fast and powerful way 21___________________________________________________________________ 22What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.