Monday, February 21, 2011

Heavy Snow

Update:
24 hours ending 3pm AST, snowfall at Fairbanks Airport is apparent 17.1 inches. This is, I believe, the second greatest 24 hour snowfall of record, exceeded only in February 1966.

Snowfall observations coming in quite remarkable, Fairbanks south and eastward. In the North Pole area there are reports of 14 to 17 inches of new snow since Sunday morning. The North Pole climate station, in operation since 1968, only as one day in February with 10 or more inches of snow, so this might be a new record there. For locations with obs back that far, the snowfall of February 11-12, 1966, in which Fairbanks Airport measured 20 inches in 24 hours, is the greatest storm 24 hour event of record.

Other reports include
Perkins Landing 16.5 inches (NWS employee)
UAF West Ridge Coop: 12.5 inches
Chatanika Coop: 12.0 inches
Goldstream Creek: 10.7 inches
Keystone Ridge 7.5 inches (as of noon)

More to come

2 comments:

  1. That is a pretty good snow event. Did you mean this was the 2nd highest snowfall ever in Fairbanks? Or 2nd highest for February?

    How much did you end with compared to the airport?
    Matthew K.

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  2. Matthew,

    Yes, the 17.1 inches in 24 hours is the second greatest 24 hour total of record ever, and the second highest in February.

    I wound up with 8.1 inches for the event (about 30 hours). I can't imagine how bad the drifting would be if there had been twice as much snow.

    Rick

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