October Summary for Fairbanks

Here's the summary for October

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1104 AM AKDT FRI NOV 2 2012

...OCTOBER 2012 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...

OCTOBER WEATHER IN FAIRBANKS STARTED OUT WARM AND WET BUT
PROGRESSED INTO A FAIRLY COOL AND DRY PATTERN TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF
THE MONTH. CHINOOK WINDS CREATED UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES IN
PARTS OF THE INTERIOR ON THE 4TH UNTIL A WIND SHIFT TO WESTERLIES
BROKE DOWN THE CHINOOK AND PUSHED A NOTABLE AMOUNT OF LATE SEASON
RAIN INTO TOWN ON THE 7TH AND 8TH. ON THE 7TH...0.21 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION CLAIMED A NEW DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION FOR
FAIRBANKS AND ON THE 8TH...0.55 INCHES WAS JUST SHY OF THE DAILY
RECORD OF 0.59 INCHES SET IN 1916. THE HIGHEST DAILY PRECIPITATION
OF THE MONTH WAS THE 0.55 INCHES WHICH FELL ON THE 8TH IN THE FORM OF
RAIN. THIS WAS THE HEAVIEST RAIN IN OCTOBER IN FAIRBANKS SINCE
1986.

AFTER THREE MONTHS OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION...OCTOBER MADE A
COMEBACK WITH A TOTAL OF 1.38 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION...WHICH IS
0.55 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. DESPITE THE ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS...THE SNOWFALL AT FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT THE TOTAL OCTOBER SNOWFALL OF 7.1 INCHES WAS 3.7 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. UNLIKE MOST YEARS IN FAIRBANKS...THE FIRST MEASURABLE
SNOW ON THE 14TH REMAINED ON THE GROUND TO ADD TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE WINTER SNOW PACK (1 INCH OR GREATER) ON OCTOBER
15TH...RATHER THAN MELTING. IT IS COMMON FOR THE FIRST MEASURABLE
SNOWFALL TO MELT...AND THE SNOW PACK TO DEVELOP WITH LATER SNOWS.

THE FIRST TRACE OF SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON SEPTEMBER 30TH THIS
YEAR...A WEEK LATER THAN THE AVERAGE OF SEPTEMBER 21ST. THIS YEARS
FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL (GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 0.1 INCH) WAS
NEARLY TWO WEEKS LATER THAN NORMAL ON OCTOBER 14TH AS COMPARED TO
THE AVERAGE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL DATE WHICH IS OCTOBER 1ST.
THE GREATEST SNOWFALL OF THE MONTH WAS 2.9 INCHES WHICH FELL ON
THE 29TH.

DURING THE INDIAN SUMMER EARLY IN THE MONTH...ON OCTOBER 4TH...
FAIRBANKS AIRPORT REACHED 61 DEGREES...JUST SHORT OF THE RECORD
HIGH FOR THE DAY OF 62 DEGREES SET IN 1923. ON THE 4TH...COLLEGE
OBSERVATORY COOPERATIVE WEATHER STATION REPORTED A NEW RECORD HIGH
OF 59 DEGREES WHICH EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 58 DEGREES SET
IN 2001. THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH AT THE AIRPORT WAS 11
BELOW ON THE 24TH...FAR FROM THE RECORD DAILY LOW OF 22 BELOW SET
IN 1935.

OVERALL...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT
WAS 30.3 DEGREES AND THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 14.7 DEGREES.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 22.5 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
WAS 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...AND THE COOLEST OCTOBER SINCE 2008.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER...THE WANING DAYLIGHT IS ARGUABLY THE
MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE OF NOVEMBER. FAIRBANKS LOSES NEARLY 3
HOURS OF DAYLIGHT IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER FROM 7 HOURS AND 46
MINUTES OF DAYLIGHT ON THE 1ST WITH A NOON SUN ANGLE OF 10
DEGREES...TO 4 HOURS AND 44 MINUTES OF DAYLIGHT ON THE 30TH WITH A
NOON SUN ANGLE OF 3 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE HIGH AND LOW ON THE 1ST
IS 18 ABOVE AND 3 ABOVE RESPECTIVELY...AND ON THE 30TH IS 7 ABOVE
AND 11 BELOW RESPECTIVELY. THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE IN NOVEMBER
IS 54 DEGREES SET IN 1936 AND THE RECORD LOW IS 54 BELOW SET IN
1909.