Annie Feidt, Alaska’s Energy Desk

An early melt-out date can make for an especially bad wildfire season, but this year, it’s right on schedule for much of the state.

Lasse Holmes, from Homer, exclusively heats his home with wood, in a rocket mass heater.

In Homer heating oil is an expensive alternative to natural gas. That forces some residents to consider less conventional options, like coal.

The sun is directly over the equator, giving equal amounts of daylight and darkness around the world.

There are a lot of heating options. Electricity, natural gas, wood, coal… even french fry oil. But in much of rural Alaska, and even some cities, the primary heating source is diesel.

For climatological winter, Alaska was about seven degrees above normal.