Unrelenting cold weather early in the season gave way to a much more mixed temperatures starting just before New Years. Overall, the average temperature from October 1 through March 31 was an even 0.0°F. This is 1.4 degrees colder than last winter and the third coldest October through March period since 1976. The first half of the winter, October through December, with an average temperature of -1.1°F was the coldest since 1961 and the third coldest in the 82 years of the Weather Bureau/NWS era. In stark contrast, the second half of the cold season, January through March, the average temperature of 1.1°F was the mildest January through March period in Fairbanks since 2006.
To mind my the highlight of the season was the dreaded ran January 14th. There are still stretches of Murphy Dome Road that are ice covered from this rain (though that is now improving rapidly).
Hello Rick. Back from two weeks at my camp 90 SW of Fairbanks. The WX was great...snow and cold, but with ample daylight. Definitely a woodstove event. I had 40+ inches of non-overflow lake ice to fish through. It'll be a late breakup.
ReplyDeleteBig news is the 1/4"+ of ice covering the ground from the above mentioned January event. As before when this happens, Spring sublimation and melting is slowed. The ice holds moisture over terrain, with lots of corn snow under the crust. On the lake, the sealed drifts will be there well after nighttime temps rise above freezing. Unless it goes 60+ then it all melts at once in a week or so.
Gary