Clear and calm conditions allowed a few thermometers to register -50°F today, the first time that benchmark has been reached in Alaska this winter. Umiat saw -52°F, locations on the Yukon Flats were very close to -50°F, and Chicken reached -51°F.
Only one winter in recent decades - 2015/16 - failed to see -50°F somewhere in Alaska at some point in the winter. The last 3 winters all produced -60°F or lower at Chicken.
This morning's sea-level pressure analysis shows sprawling high pressure across northern Alaska and a strong anticyclone over the Arctic waters to the north.
As is typical under these circumstances, surface air temperatures are far lower than temperatures aloft. The soundings below show the vertical temperature profile at Utqiaġvik and Fairbanks from this afternoon.
