November Weather Summary

November Summary for Fairbanks...

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1155 AM AKST THU DEC 1 2011

...MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...
...OUTSTANDING COLD SNAP MID-MONTH...

NOVEMBER 2011 WILL LONG BE REMEMBERED FOR THE MID-WINTER-LIKE COLD
SNAP WHICH SETTLED IN THE WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING. THE WEEK OF
NOVEMBER 15TH TO 21ST...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF
30.1 BELOW...IS THE COLDEST WEEK EVER RECORDED IN FAIRBANKS BEFORE
THANKSGIVING DAY. SIX DAILY RECORD LOWS WERE SET DURING THIS
TIME...WHICH IS TRULY OUTSTANDING FOR A LOCATION WITH MORE THAN A
CENTURY OF UNBROKEN WEATHER OBSERVATIONS.

THE FIRST HALF OF NOVEMBER...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 3.0
DEGREES ABOVE ZERO WAS ONLY A BIT COOLER THAN NORMAL.
HOWEVER...THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH...WITH AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF MINUS 19.2 DEGREES WAS THE COLDEST SECOND HALF OF
NOVEMBER SINCE 1963.

FOR THE MONTH AS A WHOLE...AT THE AIRPORT THE AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE WAS ZERO AND THE AVERAGE LOW 17 BELOW. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE LAST MONTH OF 8.2 BELOW MADE THIS THE SIXTH COLDEST
NOVEMBER OF RECORD. DURING THE PAST 50 YEARS...THE ONLY COLDER
NOVEMBER WAS IN 2006...WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 9.9 BELOW.
THE COLDEST NOVEMBER OF RECORD WAS IN 1927...WHEN THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS MINUS 11.2 DEGREES.

THE HIGH FOR THE MONTH WAS 25 DEGREES ON THE 4TH. THE LOWEST
TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT WAS 41 BELOW ON THE 17TH...AND IS THE
FIRST TIME THE TEMPERATURE HAS FALLEN PAST 40 BELOW IN NOVEMBER
SINCE 1994. SEVEN DAYS HAD LOW TEMPERATURES OF 30 BELOW OR
LOWER...THE MOST IN A NOVEMBER SINCE 1963. SOMEWHAT LOWER
TEMPERATURES WERE RECORDED IN THE NORMALLY COLDER SPOTS...INCLUDING
49 BELOW IN NORTH POLE ON THE 17TH.

SNOWFALL WAS GENERALLY A BIT BELOW NORMAL IN THE IMMEDIATE FAIRBANKS
AREA...AND NEARLY ALL OF IT FELL DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE
MONTH. THE TOTAL AT THE AIRPORT OF 9.2 INCHES WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THIS MELTED DOWN TO 0.46 INCHES OF WATER...WHICH IS
ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF NORMAL. SNOW DEPTHS INCREASED FROM 3 INCHES ON
THE FIRST TO A STEADY 7 INCHES THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF THE MONTH.

HIGHER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WERE OBSERVED NORTH OF TOWN. FOR NOVEMBER
12.0 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED AT MILE 42 STEESE HIGHWAY. THE
KEYSTONE RIDGE COOPERATIVE STATION...NEAR MURPHY DOME...REPORTED
20.7 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE MONTH.

WINDS WERE CHARACTERISTICALLY LIGHT IN NOVEMBER...ESPECIALLY
DURING THE COLDEST WEATHER. AVERAGE DAILY WIND SPEEDS WERE LESS
THAN TWO MPH EVERY DAY AFTER THE 13TH. ICE FOG DURING THE COLDEST
WEATHER WAS NOT ESPECIALLY DENSE.

LOOKING AHEAD TO DECEMBER...NORMAL TEMPERATURES SLOWLY DECLINE...
FROM 2 BELOW ON THE FIRST TO 7 BELOW ON NEW YEARS EVE. OVER THE
PAST 106 YEARS...DECEMBER TEMPERATURES HAVE RANGED FROM A HIGH OF
58 DEGREES IN 1934 TO 62 BELOW IN 1961. ON AVERAGE A FOOT OF NEW
SNOW FALLS DURING THE MONTH...BUT HAS RANGED FROM 50.7 INCHES IN
1984 TO JUST A TRACE IN 1969. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE DECREASES FROM 4
HOUR 42 MINUTES ON THE FIRST TO 3 HOURS 42 MINUTES FOR A FEW DAYS
AROUND THE WINTER SOLSTICE...AND THEN INCREASES THEREAFTER.

$$
RT DEC 11