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Deep Freeze in Alaska
April has so far been one of the coldest such on record for Fairbanks, Alaska as we near the month’s halfway point (UPDATE: See comments section). Cold and snow have dominated the weather across the state recently.
As of April 14th the temperature has averaged just 9.7°F (-12.4°C) in Fairbanks which is 16.7°F (9.3°C) below normal and about what it should be in early March. The coldest temperature so far this month was -21°F (-29.4°C) on April 11th, a far cry from the city’s all-time April low of -32°F (-35.6°C) set on April 4, 1944 but the cold has been exceptionally persistent.
The snow depth is still hovering around 2 feet (60 cm) with more on the way. Julie Stricker wrote this piece on Friday (April 12th) for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner wondering if spring will ever arrive in the city.
A recent photo of the landscape in the Fairbanks area. Photo by Ned Rozell for Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
The rest of the state has faired little better. Anchorage has averaged 24.7°F (-4.1°C) or 8.7° (4.8°C) below normal and also has about 20” (50 cm) of snow still on the ground. Infamously snowy Valdez, which is running 7.1°F (3.9°C) below normal, had a snow pack of 84” (213 cm) as of April 9th following a three-day storm that deposited 38.5” (98 cm) on the 7th-9th.
The coldest temperature measured anywhere in the state so far this April has been -39°F (-39.4°C) at the North Slope village of Nuiqsut on April 7th. The all-time Alaska state April cold record remains safely at the -50°F (-45.6°C) recorded at Umiat in April of 1986.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
P.S. I will be going through a jury selection process this coming week, so am not sure when I will be making my next post.
April has so far been one of the coldest such on record for Fairbanks, Alaska as we near the month’s halfway point (UPDATE: See comments section). Cold and snow have dominated the weather across the state recently.
As of April 14th the temperature has averaged just 9.7°F (-12.4°C) in Fairbanks which is 16.7°F (9.3°C) below normal and about what it should be in early March. The coldest temperature so far this month was -21°F (-29.4°C) on April 11th, a far cry from the city’s all-time April low of -32°F (-35.6°C) set on April 4, 1944 but the cold has been exceptionally persistent.
The snow depth is still hovering around 2 feet (60 cm) with more on the way. Julie Stricker wrote this piece on Friday (April 12th) for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner wondering if spring will ever arrive in the city.
A recent photo of the landscape in the Fairbanks area. Photo by Ned Rozell for Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
The rest of the state has faired little better. Anchorage has averaged 24.7°F (-4.1°C) or 8.7° (4.8°C) below normal and also has about 20” (50 cm) of snow still on the ground. Infamously snowy Valdez, which is running 7.1°F (3.9°C) below normal, had a snow pack of 84” (213 cm) as of April 9th following a three-day storm that deposited 38.5” (98 cm) on the 7th-9th.
The coldest temperature measured anywhere in the state so far this April has been -39°F (-39.4°C) at the North Slope village of Nuiqsut on April 7th. The all-time Alaska state April cold record remains safely at the -50°F (-45.6°C) recorded at Umiat in April of 1986.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
P.S. I will be going through a jury selection process this coming week, so am not sure when I will be making my next post.
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