August Weather Summary

What I did on my vacation…

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1216 PM AKDT THU SEP 1 2011

...MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...

...FAIRBANKS WEATHER SUMMARY FOR AUGUST AND A REVIEW OF THE SUMMER...

AUGUST WAS A FAIRLY CLOUDY MONTH WITH FREQUENT BUT MOSTLY LIGHT
RAINFALL. THE MONTH ENDED ON A DRIER NOTE THROUGH...WITH A STRING OF
RATHER SUNNY DAYS HIGHLIGHTING THE BEGINNINGS OF THE AUTUMN
COLORS AND A COUPLE OF LATE NIGHT AURORA DISPLAYS.

AT THE FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE IN AUGUST WAS 67 DEGREES AND THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 48
DEGREES. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 57.2 DEGREES WAS 1.1 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THE HIGH FOR THE MONTH WAS 76 DEGREES ON THE 4TH AND
THE LOW WAS 40 DEGREES ON THE 8TH. THE COOLEST OF THE NORMALLY
COOLER OUTLYING AREA DID HAVE ONE OR MORE MORNINGS WITH FREEZING
TEMPERATURES...INCLUDING 27 DEGREES AT GOLDSTREAM VALLEY BOTTOM ON
THE 30TH AND 31 DEGREES AT WOODSMOKE...NEAR NORTH POLE ON THE
29TH.

TOTAL RAINFALL IN AUGUST AT THE AIRPORT WAS 1.60 INCHES...WHICH
WAS 0.28 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. SOME RAIN FELL ON 22 DAYS AT THE
AIRPORT...FOUR MORE THAN AVERAGE...BUT ON ALMOST HALF OF THOSE
DAYS THERE WAS JUST A TRACE OF RAIN. THE 12 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
RAIN IS ONE DAY LESS THAN AVERAGE. THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
AREA ON SEVERAL DAYS DURING THE MONTH...THOUGH NONE WAS HEARD AT
THE AIRPORT. AS IS OFTEN THE CASE...RAINFALL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY
HIGHER AT NEARLY ALL OTHER WEATHER OBSERVING LOCATIONS IN THE
GREATER FAIRBANKS AREA. THESE INCLUDE...

AURORA.................1.96 INCHES...0.17 INCHES BELOW NORMAL
EIELSON AFB............2.04 INCHES...0.31 INCHES BELOW NORMAL
UAF WEST RIDGE.........2.18 INCHES...0.10 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
NORTH POLE.............2.19 INCHES...0.17 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
FORT WAINWRIGHT........2.35 INCHES
EAST FARMERS LOOP......2.43 INCHES
FAIRBANKS MIDTOWN......2.74 INCHES...0.62 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
KEYSTONE RIDGE.........2.76 INCHES...0.36 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL

SMOKE FROM THE BONNIFIELD FIRE ON THE FLATS SOUTH OF FAIRBANKS WAS
EVIDENT ON SEVERAL DAYS EARLY IN THE MONTH.

FOR THE SUMMER AS A WHOLE...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 59.8 DEGREES
AND TOTAL RAINFALL OF 5.07 INCHES ARE BOTH CLOSE TO NORMAL.
HOWEVER...EXCEPT FOR THE LAST WEEK OF MAY...THERE WAS A DISTINCT
LACK OF HOT WEATHER. THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER
NINE DAYS...BUT FIVE OF THOSE DAYS WERE IN MAY. THE HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE THIS SUMMER AT THE AIRPORT WAS 88 DEGREES ON JUNE
25TH. ACCORDING TO THE ALASKA FIRE SERVICE...JUST OVER 292
THOUSAND ACRES BURNED IN THE STATE THROUGH THE END OF
AUGUST...WELL BELOW THE AVERAGE OF RECENT DECADES. TWO FIRES
THOUGH THAT STARTED DURING THE WARM WEATHER OF MAY WERE OF MAJOR
CONCERN TO THE FAIRBANKS AREA....THE MOOSE MOUNTAIN FIRE ABOVE
GOLDSTREAM VALLEY AND THE HASTINGS FIRE NORTHEAST OF MURPHY DOME.

LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER...THIS MONTH TYPICALLY FEATURES MILD
TEMPERATURES AND BRIGHT AUTUMN COLORS EARLY ON FOLLOWED BY A TASTE
OF THE WINTER TO COME BY THE LAST DAYS OF THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE
HIGH TEMPERATURE DROPS FROM 62 DEGREES ON THE FIRST TO 46 DEGREES
ON THE 30TH. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW FREEZING ON
THE 25TH. IN THE LAST 106 YEARS...TEMPERATURES IN FAIRBANKS HAVE
RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 84 DEGREES IN 1957 TO A LOW OF 3 ABOVE IN
1992. PRECIPITATION AVERAGES 1.10 INCHES. MOST...BUT NOT
ALL...SEPTEMBERS SEE THE FIRST SNOW OF THE UPCOMING WINTER...AND A
SMALL ACCUMULATION IS NOT UNUSUAL DURING THE LAST WEEK OF THE
MONTH. TOTAL SEPTEMBER SNOWFALL HAS EXCEEDED SIX INCHES JUST FOUR
TIMES IN THE PAST CENTURY...BUT THREE OF THOSE YEARS WERE IN THE
1990S.

$$
RT SEP 11