February Summary

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
733 PM AKST FRI MAR 1 2013

...FEBRUARY WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA...

FEBRUARY WAS A FAIRLY QUIET MONTH IN FAIRBANKS. MILD WEATHER
EARLY IN THE MONTH AND AGAIN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS ALMOST
EXACTLY BALANCED OUT A SPELL OF COLD WEATHER AFTER MID-MONTH. AT
THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR FEBRUARY
WAS 10 ABOVE AND THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 13 BELOW. THE MONTHLY AVERAGE
OF 1.4 BELOW WAS ALMOST EXACTLY NORMAL. THE HIGH FOR THE MONTH
WAS 29 DEGREES ON THE 9TH...WHILE THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE AT THE
AIRPORT WAS 43 BELOW ON THE 19TH.

FOR THE FOUR MONTHS OF NOVEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY...THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE AT THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT WAS 7.7 BELOW...NEARLY FIVE
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE COLDEST NOVEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY
SINCE 1998-99. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 15 DAYS WITH A LOW
TEMPERATURE OF 40 BELOW OR LOWER...A BIT ABOVE THE LONG TERM
AVERAGE OF 11 SUCH DAYS BUT TWO LESS THAN LAST WINTER. IN
CONTRAST...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF
2013 WAS 2.1 BELOW...WHICH IS MORE THAN TWO DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

SNOWFALL WAS LIGHT BUT FREQUENT THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE
MONTH. TOTAL SNOWFALL WAS 10.7 INCHES...OVER A THIRD MORE THAN
NORMAL FOR FEBRUARY. THE SNOW MELTED DOWN TO 0.48 INCHES OF
WATER...WHICH IS ABOUT 15 PERCENT ABOVE NORMAL. SNOW DEPTHS AT THE
AIRPORT ROSE TO AN EVEN TWO FEET ON THE 22ND BEFORE SETTLING BACK
TO 22 INCHES BY MONTHS END. AS OF THE END OF FEBRUARY...TOTAL
SNOWFALL FOR THE WINTER STOOD AT 50.5 INCHES...WHICH IS ABOUT SIX
INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MARCH...TEMPERATURES CLIMB SHARPLY AS THE SUN
RISES HIGHER AND HIGHER IN THE SKY EACH DAY. AVERAGE DAILY HIGH
TEMPERATURES INCREASE FROM 18 DEGREES ON THE FIRST TO 34 DEGREES BY 
THE 31ST. AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURES START OFF MARCH AT 9 BELOW BUT
RISE ABOVE ZERO BY THE 21ST...AND THEN UP TO 8 ABOVE BY THE 31ST.
OVER THE PAST 108 YEARS MARCH TEMPERATURES IN FAIRBANKS HAVE
RANGED FROM 56 ABOVE IN 1994 TO 56 BELOW IN 1911. MARCH IS...ON
AVERAGE...THE DRIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR. NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS
0.25 INCHES OF LIQUID FROM AN AVERAGE OF 4.9 INCHES OF SNOW. IN
SOME YEARS THE WINTER SNOWPACK BEGINS TO MELT DURING THE LAST WEEK
OF MARCH IN URBAN AREAS...THOUGH TYPICALLY THAT DOES NOT OCCUR
UNTIL APRIL.

DURING MARCH...POSSIBLE SUNSHINE INCREASE BY NEARLY SEVEN MINUTES
EVERY DAY...AND REACHES 13 HOURS AND 33 MINUTES BY THE END OF THE
MONTH.  

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

$$
RT MAR 13