November Summary

What I did on my day off…

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1235 PM AKST WED DEC 1 2010

...FAIRBANKS WEATHER SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER...

NOVEMBER 2010 WILL LONG BE REMEMBERED BY FAIRBANKS RESIDENTS FOR THE
PROLONGED RAINFALL NOVEMBER 22ND TO 24TH THAT NEARLY CLOSED DOWN
THE AREA IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THANKSGIVING. THE RAIN PRODUCED
A THICK LAYER OF ICE ON ROADS AND MADE TRAVELING EXTREMELY
HAZARDOUS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. BOTH FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH
SCHOOLS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS CANCELLED
CLASSES...MANY OFFICES CLOSED AS DID SOME BUSINESSES. ON SOME
SHADED SECONDARY ROADS...THE ICE FROM THIS RAINFALL WILL NOT BE
GONE UNTIL IT MELTS AWAY IN LATE MARCH OR EARLY APRIL.

SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ALOFT BROUGHT MOIST SUBTROPICAL AIR FROM JUST
NORTH OF HAWAII INTO INTERIOR ALASKA. RAIN FELL...WITH ONLY A
SHORT BREAK...FOR TWO STRAIGHT DAYS. DURING THIS TIME 0.95 INCHES
OF RAIN FELL...INCLUDING 0.69 INCHES IN 24 HOURS. THIS IS THE
SECOND GREATEST RAINFALL DURING THE WINTER IN FAIRBANKS. ONLY
JANUARY 20 1937 HAD MORE...WHEN 0.99 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON TOP OF
MORE THAN 26 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. THE 39 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS
RAINFALL APPEARS TO BE RECORD FOR LONGEST RAINFALL DURING THE
WINTER IN FAIRBANKS.

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.71 INCHES...THE
HIGHEST NOVEMBER IN 40 YEARS AND THE FIFTH HIGHEST NOVEMBER
PRECIPITATION OF RECORD.

TEMPERATURE-WISE...MILD WEATHER PREVAILED MOST OF THE MONTH...WITH 25
OF 30 DAYS AVERAGING WARMER THAN NORMAL. ONLY THE LAST TWO DAYS OF
THE MONTH FEATURED WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. FOR THE
MONTH AS A WHOLE...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 19 DEGREES AND
THE AVERAGE LOW 5 ABOVE. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 11.9 DEGREES
WAS 9.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS IS THE 13TH WARMEST NOVEMBER IN
106 YEARS OF RECORDS...AND THE SECOND WARMEST IN THE PAST 30
YEARS. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 37 DEGREES ON THE
3RD. ONLY NINE DAYS HAD LOW TEMPERATURES OF ZERO OR LOWER...WHICH
IS LESS THAN HALF THE AVERAGE...AND THE LOW FOR THE MONTH WAS
32 BELOW ON THE 30TH. SOME OF THE NORMALLY COLDER AREAS AROUND
NORTH POLE WERE NEAR 40 BELOW ON THE 30TH.

DURING THE RAIN STORM...THE TEMPERATURE REMAINED ABOVE FREEZING AT
THE AIRPORT FOR 49 CONSECUTIVE HOURS. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE
LONGEST STREAK OF CONTINUOUSLY ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN
FAIRBANKS DURING WINTER SINCE HOURLY WEATHER OBSERVATIONS BEGAN IN
MARCH 1941. HOWEVER...IN BOTH DECEMBER 1934 AND AGAIN IN NOVEMBER
1935 THERE APPEAR TO LONGER STRETCHES OF ABOVE FREEZING
TEMPERATURES...THOUGH THE EXACT DURATIONS ARE NOT KNOWN.

TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH AT THE AIRPORT OF 11.6 INCHES WAS
ENOUGH TO MAKE THIS THE SNOWIEST MONTH SINCE MARCH 2009...BUT WAS
STILL A COUPLE INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SNOWFALL WAS CONSIDERABLY
HIGHER TO THE NORTH OF TOWN....WITH 19.7 INCHES FOR THE MONTH AT THE
KEYSTONE RIDGE WEATHER STATION...NEAR MURPHY DOME...AND OVER 26
INCHES NEAR CHATANIKA.

THE SAME HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT THAT WAS EVENTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE RAIN ALSO BROUGHT THE HIGHEST NOVEMBER PRESSURE OF RECORD IN
FAIRBANKS ON THE 16TH...WHEN THE PRESSURE REACHED 31.04 INCHES.