Southeast Alaska has experienced record-breaking rainfall this summer, with Ketchikan receiving 47 inches of rain in June, July, and August, breaking its summer rainfall record. Ketchikan also saw 68 days with measurable rainfall out of 90 days from June through August, breaking its previous record of 67 days set in 1933. Other cities in Southeast Alaska, such as Sitka and Petersburg, also set their own records for summer rainfall. Climate researcher Rick Thoman attributes the wet weather to higher ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which supply more water to the atmosphere, and the storms that come along to wring it out. However, Thoman predicts that the weather pattern of the drought years, with a more pronounced dry season, will be more common in the decades to come. The rainy weather has dampened spirits in Southeast Alaska, with businesses struggling to keep their doors open and important events being canceled or reshaped.