April Summary

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 451 AM AKDT TUE MAY 1 2012 ...APRIL WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS... ...MILD AND DRY... FOLLOWING A COLD MARCH...APRIL CONTINUED THE TREND OF THE LAST 6 MONTHS OF ALTERNATING COLD AND WARM MONTHS AND WENT INTO THE RECORD BOOKS WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 36.9 DEGREES WAS 4.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. IT ENDED UP AS THE 13TH WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD AT FAIRBANKS. THIS CONTINUED A RECENT TREND OF WARM APRILS. SIX OF THE WARMEST 10 APRILS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 1990. FOR THE MONTH...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT WAS 50 AND THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 24. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 61 DEGREES WAS OBSERVED ON THE 16TH AND THE LOW FOR THE MONTH OF 8 BELOW OCCURRED ON THE MORNING OF THE 4TH. TWENTY-SIX OUT OF 30 DAYS THIS PAST APRIL HAD TEMPERATURES THAT WERE ABOVE NORMAL...WITH THE ONLY COLDER THAN NORMAL WEATHER FROM APRIL 2ND TO 4TH AND ON THE 30TH. THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL OCCURRED AROUND MID MONTH...AND ON THE 16TH THE HIGH OF 61 DEGREES ESTABLISHED A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE SURPASSING THE OLD RECORD OF 59 SET IN 1993. IT WAS ALSO THE EARLIEST 60 DEGREE TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT SINCE 1997. THERE WERE 19 DAYS WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 50 DEGREES OR WARMER...WHICH WAS WELL ABOVE THE AVERAGE OF 11 DAYS. THE PERSISTENTLY MILD WEATHER COMBINED WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE TO MELT OUT THE SNOW PACK QUITE RAPIDLY. THERE WAS 20 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ON THE MORNING OF THE 9TH THAT ALL MELTED AWAY BY THE 20TH. THE LAST DAY WITH AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS THE 19TH...WHICH WAS JUST 3 DAYS SHY OF THE AVERAGE DATE FOR THE LOSS OF THE WINTER SNOW PACK...WHICH IS APRIL 22ND. THERE WAS AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND FOR A TOTAL OF 184 DAYS THIS WINTER...WHICH WAS ONLY 2 DAYS SHY OF THE LONG TERM AVERAGE. THIS PAST APRIL WAS DRY WITH ONLY 7 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN WHICH INCLUDED A TRACE OF SNOW AT THE AIRPORT. THE 7 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN WAS NEARLY A QUARTER INCH BELOW NORMAL...BUT DID NOT RANK AS ONE OF THE DRIEST APRILS ON RECORD. THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 20 APRILS OVER THE YEARS WITH 5 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF LESS OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW). THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION WAS NOT LIMITED TO THE VALLEY AS MOST HIGH ELEVATION SITES AROUND FAIRBANKS ONLY HAD AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW THIS PAST APRIL. HIGHER ELEVATION SITES STILL HAD SIGNIFICANT SNOW ON THE GROUND AT MONTHS END...WITH 8 INCHES AT KEYSTONE RIDGE ON MURPHY DOME...AND 22 INCHES AT MUNSON RIDGE SOUTH OF CHENA HOT SPRINGS AT AN ELEVATION OF 3100 FEET. LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY...NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES RISE FROM 54 DEGREES ON THE FIRST TO 67 DEGREES ON THE 31ST. NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES RISE FROM 31 ON THE 1ST TO 44 ON THE 31ST. MAY TENDS TO BE A FAIRLY DRY MONTH WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF SHOWERS TYPICALLY INCREASING LATE IN THE MONTH. ON AVERAGE ONLY 6 TENTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN IS OBSERVED. MOST YEARS THERE IS LITTLE OR NO SNOWFALL IN TOWN DURING THE MONTH OF MAY...BUT TWICE IN THE LAST 30 YEARS THERE HAS BEEN MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW...MOST MEMORABLE FOR LONG TIME RESIDENTS IN 1992 WHEN THERE WAS 14.1 INCHES OF SNOW. HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW ON THE HILLS AROUND FAIRBANKS IS NOT ALL THAT UNUSUAL IN MAY ABOVE 1500 FEET...ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. THE LAST FREEZING TEMPERATURES OF THE SPRING ON AVERAGE ARE OBSERVED AT THE AIRPORT AROUND MID-MONTH...BUT RURAL VALLEYS WILL TYPICALLY HAVE FROST ON CLEAR NIGHTS EVEN LATE IN THE MONTH. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE INCREASES FROM JUST OVER 17 HOURS ON THE 1ST TO 20 HOURS AND 29 MINUTES ON THE 31ST. SOME TWILIGHT IS VISIBLE ALONG THE NORTHERN HORIZON AT THE START OF THE MONTH...AND BY MID- MONTH THERE IS 24 HOURS OF USABLE DAYLIGHT. THE FORECAST FOR MAY FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICATION CENTER INDICATES THAT THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT WOULD INDICATE AN INCREASED CHANCE OF EITHER SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OR PRECIPITATION. ...MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY FOR FAIRBANKS ALASKA... OBSERVED LAST MONTH...04/2012 OBSERVED RANK AVG MAX TEMP (F) 49.7 9TH WARMEST OF 107 YEARS AVG MIN TEMP (F) 24.1 22ND WARMEST OF 108 YEARS AVG TEMP (F) 36.9 13TH WARMEST OF 107 YEARS TOTAL PRECIP (IN) 0.07 26TH DRIEST OF 99 YEARS TOTAL SNOW (IN) T 81ST SNOWIEST OF 97 YEARS $$ CB/RT