Most of Alaska experienced a warmer than average winter during 2006 - 2007 (as defined by the period December, January, and February). Temperature departures were highest in the Arctic, north of the Brooks Range. In this region, winter temperatures were 4°F to 6°F above average. For most of the interior and west coast, temperatures were between 2°F and 4°F warmer than normal. Areas with cooler winter temperatures included the southwest mainland, southcentral coastal areas, and a small area in the southeast panhandle. As is typical for winter in Alaska, however, there were some strong monthly temperature departures over the December to February period. December brought predominantly above normal conditions for much of the state. January had a pattern of strong warmth in the east and cold for the western fringes while February brought the opposite pattern, cold in the east and strong warmth in the west.
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Winter (DFJ) Temperature Statistics
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| Location |
Average (°F)
|
Departure (°F)
|
| Barrow |
-9.9
|
+3.5
|
| Nome |
8.2
|
+1.6
|
| Fairbanks |
-4.2
|
+2.3
|
| Anchorage |
18.6
|
+1.3
|
| Juneau |
30.2
|
+2.4
|
| King Salmon |
14.2
|
-1.9
|
Snowfall for the December to February period had wide variability across Alaska, from well above normal totals for such places as Anchorage (35.6 inches above average) and St. Paul Island (37.3 inches above average) to areas lacking in snow like Bettles (16.1 inches below average) and Fairbanks (13.4 inches below average). There are some noteworthy season-to-date snowfalls (since July 1). On the extreme high end, Juneau airport has reported 189.2 inches of snow to date, almost 100 inches more than normal. This was helped by the record-setting March total of 62.7 inches. The snow season in Yakutat has also been an active one with 219.3 inches to date, which is a departure from average of nearly 48 inches. Other locations, however, have seen quite low seasonal totals. Bettles has received 42.4 inches of snow to date, only half the normal amount. In addition, Fairbanks also had a lackluster snow season, receiving a mere 28 inches, which is less than half of the winter average.
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Winter (DFJ) Snowfall Statistics
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| Location |
Total (in)
|
Departure (in)
|
| Barrow |
10.3
|
+4.2
|
| Nome |
52.7
|
+20.5
|
| Fairbanks |
18.3
|
-13.4
|
| Anchorage |
70.6
|
+35.6
|
| Juneau |
63.5
|
-3.8
|
| King Salmon |
30.4
|
+5.4
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| Tabular Data for Winter | Monthly Statewide Summaries |
| Temperature Precipitation Snowfall |
December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 |
Posted April 24, 2007