July Summary

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1231 PM AKDT WED AUG 1 2012

...MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...
...JULY WAS COOL WITH VARIABLE RAINFALL...

TEMPERATURES IN JULY WERE CONSISTENTLY COOL...WITH 20 DAYS HAVING
AN AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE DAILY
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 69.7 DEGREES...A FULL THREE DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
AND MAKING THIS ONLY THE SIXTH JULY IN THE PAST 30 YEARS TO HAVE
AN AVERAGE HIGH IN JULY BELOW 70 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE LOW OF 52
DEGREES WAS ALMOST EXACTLY NORMAL. THE MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE OF
60.8 WAS 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND MADE THIS THE COOLEST JULY
SINCE 2008. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT FOR THE MONTH
WAS 81 DEGREES ON THE 26TH...THE ONLY DAY IN JULY TO REACH INTO
THE 80S. THE LOW AT THE AIRPORT WAS 43 DEGREES ON THE 31ST. SOME
OF THE TYPICALLY COLD LOW LYING AREAS SAW ONE OR MORE MORNINGS
WITH TEMPERATURES DOWN TO FREEZING...INCLUDING LOWS OF 30 DEGREES
AT GOLDSTREAM CREEK AND 32 DEGREES AT WOODSMOKE...NEAR NORTH
POLE... ON THE MORNING OF THE 9TH.

RAINFALL WAS...AS IS TYPICAL IN THE SUMMER...QUITE VARIABLE AROUND
THE AREA. THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT RECORDED 1.72 INCHES OF RAIN...ONLY
ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF NORMAL. MOST LOCATIONS HAD SOMEWHAT MORE RAIN THAN
THE AIRPORT AND SOME PLACES EAST OF FAIRBANKS WERE ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT
WETTER THAN NORMAL. AVAILABLE JULY RAINFALL TOTALS INCLUDE...

FAIRBANKS MIDTOWN..........1.87 INCHES (77 PERCENT OF NORMAL)
GOLDSTREAM CREEK...........2.24 INCHES
AURORA.....................2.28 INCHES (90 PERCENT OF NORMAL)
NORTH POLE.................2.30 INCHES (99 PERCENT OF NORMAL)
KEYSTONE RIDGE.............2.50 INCHES (75 PERCENT OF NORMAL)
EAST FARMERS LOOP..........2.55 INCHES
WOODSMOKE..................2.71 INCHES (108 PERCENT OF NORMAL)
EIELSON AFB................2.72 INCHES (115 PERCENT OF NORMAL)

THUNDERSTORMS WERE UNCOMMONLY RARE THIS MONTH...WITH THUNDER HEARD ON
ONLY ONE DAY AT THE AIRPORT. THE LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEM
OPERATED BY THE ALASKA FIRE SERVICE RECORDED FEWER STRIKES THIS
MONTH IN INTERIOR AND NORTHERN ALASKA THAN ANY JULY SINCE 2003.

THE COOL WEATHER AND LACK OF LIGHTNING BROUGHT THE 2012 FIRE SEASON TO
A NEAR STANDSTILL BY THE END OF THE MONTH. JUST OVER 207200 ACRES HAVE
BURNED IN ALASKA THUS FAR THIS SUMMER. THIS IS WELL BELOW NORMAL AND
THIS SUMMER IS VERY LIKELY TO FINISH UP WITH THE LOWEST ACREAGE BURNED
SINCE 2008.

LOOKING AHEAD TO AUGUST...TEMPERATURES START TO COOL SIGNIFICANTLY AS
NIGHTTIME DARKNESS RETURNS TO FAIRBANKS SKIES. THE AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE AT THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT FALLS FROM 70 DEGREES ON THE FIRST
TO 62 DEGREES ON THE 31ST. AVERAGE DAILY LOW TEMPERATURES DROP FROM
50 DEGREES THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS OF THE MONTH TO 41 DEGREES AT MONTHS
END. FROST AND FREEZES ARE INCREASINGLY POSSIBLE AS THE MONTH WEARS ON...
BUT THE FIRST FREEZE OFTEN DOES OCCUR IN MUCH OF URBAN FAIRBANKS AND IN
THE HILLS UNTIL SEPTEMBER. SINCE 1905...AUGUST TEMPERATURES HAVE RANGED
FROM A HIGH OF 93 DEGREES IN 1994 TO A LOW OF 21 DEGREES IN 1921.
AVERAGE RAINFALL AT THE AIRPORT IS 1.88 INCHES...SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE
AVERAGE IN JULY. SNOW IS VERY RARE AT VALLEY LEVEL IN AUGUST BUT HAS
OCCURRED A FEW TIMES. THREE INCHES OF SNOW FELL AUGUST 29 1922...THE
ONLY OCCURRENCE OF MEASURABLE SNOW IN AUGUST IN FAIRBANKS IN MORE THAN
A CENTURY OF RECORDS. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE DECREASES FROM JUST OVER
18 HOURS ON THE FIRST TO 14 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES BY THE 31ST. THE
FIRST NORTHERN LIGHTS OF THE SEASON ARE OFTEN SEEN DURING THE LAST
TEN DAYS OF AUGUST.

THE FORECAST FOR AUGUST FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CALLS FOR
SLIGHTLY INCREASED CHANCES OF SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES
AND EQUAL CHANCES OF SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW...NEAR OR SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE
NORMAL PRECIPITATION.