I'm on the road and away from my usual data resources at present, but a quick post is in order to highlight the remarkable National Weather Service forecast for the next few days in Fairbanks:
This morning's NWS forecast for the international airport calls for daily high temperatures below -40° from today through Sunday, i.e. 5 days in row. This hasn't happened since the intense New Year's cold snap at the turn of the century (Dec 30, 1999 through Jan 3, 2000).
The anomaly is even more striking in comparison to the last 15 years: there have only been 2 individual days with a high temperature of -40° or below at the airport since January 2009. Early January 2009 saw 4 straight days with a high of -40° or -41°F.
The Fairbanks record for consecutive days below -40°F is 9 days in December 1961.
And here's the forecast for Fort Yukon: chilling out below -50°F for the next several days.
Looking farther ahead, there's a distinct glimmer of hope for significant relief in the second week of January:
Hey Richard, thanks so much for posts like these. I realized eariler as I was worrying about my frozen, blocky tires going flat that I haven't read this blog in like forever. I appreciate the time and energy you continually put in to make it a joy to read. Happy new year!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you Eric. Hope you and yours are warm and well. Happy New Year
DeleteHappy New Year Richard and another thank you for your hard work here. Many in Alaska are having a bad time dealing with the cold, as it's not as common and we've had new immigrants that come from warm climates. Social online groups are offering support or advice (like Fairbanks Facebook) and local service and maintenance people are helping remedy breakdowns. It'll be time to turn on the aboveground fuel tank heat soon as we explore the clould point of #1 fuel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Gary. Serious cold, serious hardship for some. Time for community spirit to shine in the Golden Heart City.
DeleteNo relief until February if then. The outlook above is confused at best, as soon cold from Siberia or NW Canada will invade.
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