The coldest location in the State of Alaska today was Anaktuvuk Pass (low temperature of 9°F). Looking at an entire year, I thought it would be interesting to see which station recorded the daily low temperature the most times. The first map below shows each station that recorded a statewide daily low temperature in 2012 and the count of days that the station was the state's low. In total, 72 stations recorded the daily, statewide low temperature for a calendar day. If more that one station recorded the statewide low, each station earned a tally. Therefore, even though 2012 had 366 days, adding up all the numbers on the map yields a grand total of 468. Rick communicated to me via e-mail that FAA data are not archived at NCDC (i.e., Anaktuvuk Pass, Arctic Village, etc.), so this map should be taken with a grain of salt. Also, cooperative stations usually take their temperature measurements at 7 a.m. so there is often a time of day confound. As you can see from the map, there is a concentration in the central and southeastern Interior. Remember that this map is for the entire year. The second map below shows the September 2012 daily low stations. Who can guess the station that was both the September and the annual winner for 2012?
There are companion maps for summer but I'll save those for another day.
Looks like at or near Chisana. At 3300' its elevation is a temp killer. Been there several times flying a plane on wheels, and did the initial lake/fisheries surveys of the nearby large water bodies...Carden, Braye, Ptarmigan, and Rock. Neat country with big Lake Trout and other species.
ReplyDeleteSnows early as many sheep hunters have discovered. And often is cold as the local residents, some friends, and gold miners know.
Gary
You are correct Gary. Thanks for the info about Chisana. I added the table to the end of the blog post.
DeleteEasy guess...only Nebesna/Copper-Tanada Lakes are nearby.
ReplyDeleteThe other factor affecting the Chisana (Tsetsaan' Na') area is its exposure to downslope air coursing the adjacent Chisana River drainage from glacial areas to the south.
An early history of Chisana:
http://www.nps.gov/wrst/historyculture/upload/chisanaminingdistricthistory.pdf
Gary
Chisana has all the key ingredients: high elevation valley and proximate to glaciers. Kinda like McCarthy, except much higher.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if the Umiat RAWS data were available that would change the counts quite a bit.
The Alaska statewide record low temperature for the month of August was just a mile or so upstream of Chisana at Bonanza Creek.
ReplyDeleteHere are the top numbers for the year 2000 & 1999 & 1998 (sorry for the clunky formatting):
Station Num Min Days (2000)
UMIAT 55
SAG RIVER DOT 35
SNOWSHOE LAKE 26
CHICKEN 25
CHANDALAR LAKE 23
COLVILLE VILLAGE 23
WAINWRIGHT AP 23
BARROW POST ROGERS AP 22
DEADHORSE AP 20
CHISANA ALASKA 17
NUIQSUT AP 17
BEAVER (WBQ) ALASKA 16
KUPARUK 14
CHANDALAR SHELF DOT 12
NORUTAK LAKE ALASKA 10
Station Num Min Days (1999)
UMIAT 39
CHICKEN 28
CHISANA ALASKA 26
BEAVER (WBQ) ALASKA 25
COLVILLE VILLAGE 24
KUPARUK 24
WAINWRIGHT AP 21
BARROW POST ROGERS AP 15
CHANDALAR LAKE 15
NUIQSUT AP 15
BEAVER 13
SALCHA ALASKA 13
Station Num Min Days (1999)
UMIAT 51
CHICKEN 44
CHISANA ALASKA 44
BEAVER 40
BARROW POST ROGERS AP 23
SNOWSHOE LAKE 22
BEAVER (WBQ) ALASKA 21
MINERAL LAKES 12
COLVILLE VILLAGE 11
CHALKYITSIK ALASKA 9
Umiat. Worked flying out of there during the '80's doing fisheries stuff on nearby lakes and streams. Bugs, cold, fog, and little bit of all the rest depending upon season. We had a generator building fire off at -54F one eve that only shoveled snow put out.
ReplyDeleteNow the area's the focus of renewed energy sourcing and a potential end of the road destination.
Link: http://umiat.com
See: "History" for interesting commentary on the early years.
Gary