The surface based temperature inversion was fairly underwhelming at 3am Tuesday, as shown in the plot on the left: only about 9ºC in 1000 meters. After balloon launch time surface temperatures cooled some more before fairly widespread fog developed. Fairbanks Airport got to 6 below, Woodsmoke PWS 14 below and Goldstream Creek 16 below. Here on Keystone Ridge as of 9 am it's been down to 1 above; as I write this I'm looking at lovely dawn colors in the eastern sky, with the tops of the fog in the valley well below.
The current surface temperature map of North America looks very similar to that of this past January, with the coldest air being trapped in Eastern Alaska and the Yukon territory. I know it's too early in the season to tell how winter will turn out. Is there a chance for this pattern to persist, which would result in another cold winter for Alaska and "no winter" for the lower-48 states. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWell, there is a chance. And remember, eastern Alaska had a cold January, but the first three weeks of December were the warmest of record at Fairbanks, and February was well above normal too.
ReplyDeleteThe present surface area heat chart associated with United states seems nearly the same as that relating to the 2009 Jan, using the very coldest oxygen becoming stuck inside Far eastern Ak as well as the Yukon area.
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