December 2011 and Annual Summary

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1220 PM AKST SUN JAN 1 2012

...DECEMBER WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...
...2011 WEATHER IN REVIEW...

THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF DECEMBER WERE AMONG THE WARMEST EVER
RECORDED IN FAIRBANKS. THERE WERE EIGHT DAYS WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS 20 OR MORE DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER...THE
WEATHER TURNED SHARPLY COLDER RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND THIS
CONTINUED THROUGH NEW YEARS EVE. THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH
WERE MORE THAN 20 DEGREES COLDER THAN NORMAL.

OVERALL...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT WAS 14 ABOVE
AND THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 6 BELOW. THE MONTHLY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 4.0 ABOVE WAS MORE THAN 8 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL
AND TIES WITH 1963 AS THE 10TH WARMEST DECEMBER IN 107 YEARS OF
OBSERVATIONS. IN THE PAST 20 YEARS ONLY DECEMBER 2002 WAS WARMER.
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT WAS 47 DEGREES ON THE 4TH.
THIS IS THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN FAIRBANKS DURING
DECEMBER EXCEPT FOR FIVE STRAIGHT DAYS IN DECEMBER 1934 WHEN HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 50S. THE LOW OF 36 BELOW OCCURRED ON THE
LAST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH.

PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL IN DECEMBER. A TOTAL OF 0.95
INCHES WAS MEASURED AT THE AIRPORT...WHICH IS ABOUT A THIRD OF AN
INCH ABOVE NORMAL...AND MAKES THIS THE WETTEST DECEMBER SINCE
1992. SNOWFALL TOTALED 12.2 INCHES...WHICH IS ALMOST EXACTLY
NORMAL. SNOW DEPTHS AT THE AIRPORT INCREASED FROM 7 INCHES ON THE
FIRST TO 14 INCHES ON THE 31ST. SNOWFALL WAS SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER
TO THE NORTHWEST OF TOWN. THE GOLDSTREAM VALLEY BOTTOM COOPERATIVE
STATION MEASURED 16.9 INCHES OF SNOW...AND THE KEYSTONE RIDGE
STATION...NEAR MURPHY DOME...REPORTED 26.4 INCHES FOR THE MONTH.

DURING THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF DECEMBER...IT WAS MUCH BREEZIER THAN
IS NORMAL IN FAIRBANKS IN MID-WINTER...TOPPED OFF BY STRONG WINDS
ON THE 4TH AND 5TH WHICH PEAKED AT 51 MPH...THE HIGHEST WIND GUST
OF RECORD IN DECEMBER IN FAIRBANKS. DURING THE COLD WEATHER LATE
IN THE MONTH...WINDS WERE NEARLY CALM.

LOOKING AHEAD TO JANUARY...THIS IS TYPICALLY THE COLDEST MONTH OF
THE YEAR IN FAIRBANKS. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE IS 1 ABOVE AND
THE AVERAGE LOW IS 17 BELOW. OVER THE PAST 108 YEARS...JANUARY
TEMPERATURES HAVE RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 52 ABOVE IN 2009 TO A LOW
OF 66 BELOW IN 1934. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE INCREASES FROM 4 HOURS ON
THE FIRST TO JUST UNDER 7 HOURS ON THE 31ST.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECAST FOR JANUARY IS FOR AN
INCREASED CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN
FAIRBANKS.

OBSERVED LAST MONTH...12/2011

OBSERVED RANK
AVG MAX TEMP (F) 14.4 7TH WARMEST OF 107 YEARS
AVG MIN TEMP (F) -6.4 14TH WARMEST OF 108 YEARS
AVG TEMP (F) 4.0 10TH WARMEST OF 107 YEARS
TOTAL PRECIP (IN) 0.95 19TH WETTEST OF 97 YEARS


...WEATHER SUMMARY FOR 2011...

2011 WAS A MEMORABLE YEAR WEATHER-WISE IN FAIRBANKS. LATE FEBRUARY
BROUGHT TWO MAJOR STORMS THAT WERE...MOST UNUSUALLY...ACCOMPANIED
BY STRONG WINDS AND EVEN SOME BLOWING SNOW. THE STORM ON FEBRUARY
20 AND 21ST BROUGHT A WHOPPING 17.1 INCHES OF SNOW IN 24 HOURS...
THE SECOND HIGHEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL EVER MEASURED IN FAIRBANKS.
THE SPRING WAS EXTREMELY DRY...AND SOME OF THE WARMEST WEATHER
EVER RECORDED IN MAY OCCURRED LATE THAT MONTH. THE WARM AND DRY
CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MOOSE MOUNTAIN AND HASTING FIRES
THAT STARTED IN LATE MAY. THE REST OF THE SUMMER BROUGHT A
GENERALLY QUIET FIRE SEASON. THE AUTUMN WAS PERSISTENTLY MILD
UNTIL MID- NOVEMBER...WHEN THE COLDEST SUSTAINED WEATHER OF RECORD
BEFORE THANKSGIVING GRIPPED THE AREA...ONLY TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE
EXTREME WARMTH OF THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF DECEMBER. OVERALL...THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR OF 27.9 DEGREES WAS ALMOST
EXACTLY NORMAL. THE HIGH FOR THE YEAR WAS 88 DEGREES ON JUNE 25TH.
THE LOW WAS 44 BELOW ON FEBRUARY 15TH. THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION OF
9.54 INCHES WAS ABOUT 12 PERCENT BELOW NORMAL.

$$
RT/JM JAN 12