Alaska climate report: August, a time of meteorological change

Alaska climate report: August, a time of meteorological change

August was a bit of a weather yo-yo in some parts of Alaska.

Kotzebue, Nome and Bethel had warm weather in the month's first week but cooler than average temperatures later in the month, according to the August summary from the Alaska Climate Research Center.

Cold Bay, Juneau, and stations in the Interior set several records for daily temperatures during a warm spell in the last third of the month.

The Alaska Climate Research Center, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, released its statewide August climate summaryearlier this month.

Kotzebue also had a record wet month, receiving 5.36 inches of rain for 252% of normal. Two periods of heavy rain in the mid- and latter periods of the month combined to break the previous record of 5.26 inches set in 1998.

It was a far different story further south.

Southcentral and Southeast Alaska were relatively dry, with Homer and Ketchikan recording less than 40% of normal August precipitation. Anchorage, Gulkana and Kodiak were moderately below normal.

August is a transition month.

"With both temperature and precipitation remaining close to long-term normals in most of the state, August presented as a quiet bridge between summer warmth and fall's advancing cool - a classic transition period," ACRC Director Martin Stuefer said.

Stuefer is also the Alaska state climatologist.

Many areas still experience lingering summer warmth, long daylight hours, and the last stretches of the growing season at the start of August.

That soon changes, however, as daylight loss accumulates, temperatures begin to fall, and leaves begin to change color. Nighttime frost sometimes occurs. Southcentral and Southeast Alaska often see an increase in rain. Tundra in the state's north turns red and gold.

Other August highlights:

• An atmospheric river and subsequent storm systems brought heavy precipitation to western Alaska and the Interior. Weather stations in and around Fairbanks received between about 1.5 inches at Fairbanks International Airport to over 4 inches in Chatanika during Aug. 22-25.
• Winter weather warnings were issued for the Dalton Highway and the Brooks Range in the month's final days.
• Arctic sea ice extent is approaching the seasonal minimum, which is typically reached around mid-September. Weekly change rates decreased slightly from the relatively high loss rates in July.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Martin Stuefer, [email protected]

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