Following up on my last post, Toolik Lake did indeed see snow on Sunday. Here are a couple of webcam shots from late afternoon:
The weather observer measured a wet 4.4 inches of snow, and that's the largest "high summer" snowfall at Toolik in at least a few years. The following chart shows daily snowfall amounts in May through September since 2022, when daily climate data begins in the GHCN database. Note that occasional accumulating snow is not unusual in summer.
In other news, this morning saw temperatures drop into the 30s Fahrenheit across many eastern and southern interior locations, and some of the usual cold spots suffered a freeze. Of course summer heat is still rampant in middle latitudes far to the south, but the late July return of overnight darkness across sub-Arctic Alaska inevitably raises the risk of frost when calm and clear conditions accompany a cool air mass. Fairbanks airport reached 40°F - the lowest July temperature since 2020 - and the nearby Goldstream Creek co-op site reported 29°F (lowest since 2022). Several sites in the hills above Fairbanks also dropped into the upper 20s.
Perhaps the most notable report this morning was 26°F from the often-chilly Salcha RAWS; this was the lowest July temperature since 2005.
At this rate there will be color on the trees before long; although NOAA/CPC currently suggests a warmer trend (relative to normal) in the next few weeks. Perhaps summer isn't quite over yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment