Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
000
CXAK57 PAJK 060732
CLAKTN
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
934 PM AKST SAT FEB 05 2022
...................................
...THE KETCHIKAN CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2021...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1910 TO 2022
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 96 06/25/1913
LOW -7 01/23/1916
HIGHEST 82 06/28 78 4 81 07/31
LOWEST 0 12/25 9 -9 2 01/14
12/26
AVG. MAXIMUM 50.4 51.3 -0.9
AVG. MINIMUM 39.5 40.8 -1.3
MEAN 45.0 46.0 -1.0 45.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 23 11.5 11.5 9
DAYS MIN <= 32 100 81.5 18.5 45
DAYS MIN <= 0 2 0.2 1.8 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 196.03 2003
MINIMUM 88.45 1995
TOTALS 143.73 149.54 -5.71 175.10
DAILY AVG. 0.40 0.41 -0.01
DAYS >= .01 248 232.6 15.4 241
DAYS >= .10 177 177.0 0.0 188
DAYS >= .50 90 95.1 -5.1 109
DAYS >= 1.00 42 50.0 -8.0 49
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 5.77 08/03 TO 08/04
STORM TOTAL 4.57
(MM/DD(HH))
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 7228 6917 311 6973
SINCE 7/1 3257 2962 295
COOLING TOTAL 28 16 12 5
SINCE 1/1 28 16 12
FREEZE DATES
EARLIEST 10/15
LATEST 04/26
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.1
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 52/120 DATE 10/01
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 64/130 DATE 01/08
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 2 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 28 RAIN 118
LIGHT RAIN 245 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 9
LIGHT SNOW 61 SLEET 0
FOG 241 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 14
HAZE 26
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
$$
...NEW CLIMATE NORMALS MARK THE NEW DECADE IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA...
THE YEAR 2021 COINCIDED WITH THE START OF A NEW 30-YEAR CLIMATE
NORMAL PERIOD. EVERY 10 YEARS, THE METEOROLOGICAL VALUES THAT DEFINE
WHAT IS CONSIDERED "NORMAL" FOR A PARTICULAR TIME AND PLACE ARE
UPDATED TO REFLECT CHANGES THAT OCCURRED OVER THE PAST DECADE. TO
SUMMERIZE THOSE CHANGES IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA, AS EXPECTED MOST
LOCATIONS SHOWED WARMING FOR THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. JUNEAU,
ON THE OTHER HAND, SHOWED MODEST INCREASES IN DAILY MAX TEMPS AND
DECREASES IN DAILY MIN TEMPS, NETTING A ZERO CHANGE BETWEEN THE DATA
SETS. FOR NEW NORMAL PRECIPITATION, JUNEAU AND KETCHIKAN SAW
SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WHEREAS SITKA AND YAKUTAT REGISTERED A
DECREASE. CLEARLY, THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT IT`S ALL ABOUT GLOBAL
CLIMATE CHANGE, NOT GLOBAL WARMING. GRANTED, MOST PLACES, AND
ESPECIALLY HIGH LATITUDE LOCATIONS, ARE SEEING PRONOUNCED WARMING
WITH TIME.
THE YEAR BEGAN WARMER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA, CONTINUING THE TREND FROM THE END OF 2020. HOWEVER, BY THE END
OF JANUARY COLDER AIR WOULD BEGIN TO SET IN OVER THE REGION. THIS
NOT ONLY WOULD TURN THE CONDITIONS COOLER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL BUT
WOULD ALSO SET THE STAGE FOR AN INTENSE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE REGIME
TO ESTABLISH ITSELF IN THE YUKON, USHERING IN BLUSTERY WINDS AND
EXTREMELY FRIGID TEMPERATURES DURING THE SECOND WEEK OF FEBRUARY.
MOST OF THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE SITES WERE SPARED FROM DAILY RECORD
LOWS EXCEPT FOR KETCHIKAN WHICH DROPPED TO 6F AND 9F ON THE
MORNINGS OF THE 9TH AND THE 10TH. SEVERAL DAILY RECORDS WERE SET AT
OBSERVATION POINTS WITH SHORTER PERIODS OF RECORD. THE ARCTIC HIGH
PRESSURE WOULD EVENTUALLY MOVE SOUTH AND BECOME MUCH MORE FAMOUS FOR
CRIPPLING THE TX POWER GRID AMONG OTHER THINGS, LEAVING BEHIND
WARMER AND WETTER CONDITIONS TO CLOSE OUT OUR METEOROLOGICAL WINTER.
A WARM START TO SPRING IN SEAK WAS VERY BRIEF AS CONDITIONS TURNED
COLDER THAN NORMAL AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH. THAT PROMISING
START WOULD INSTEAD END WITH OBSERVATIONS IN THE REGION DURING THAT
MONTH IN 2021 FAILING TO PRODUCE A SINGLE 50F TEMP. THESE COLDER
THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS ALSO LENDED THEMSELVES TO COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF
SNOW. WHILE SEVERAL SITES WOULD END MARCH WITH HUGE MONTHLY TOTALS,
PERHAPS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE SNOWFALL STATISTIC CAME OUT OF KETCHIKAN
WHERE AN OBSERVER REPORTED A SINGLE STORM SNOW TOTAL OF 20.8 ON THE
13TH. SPRINGTIME FOR SOUTHEAST FINALLY ARRIVED IN APRIL THOUGH, AS A
STAUNCH RIDGE SET UP OVER THE REGION MID-MONTH. TEMPERATURES
REACHING 70F BECAME COMMON ACROSS THE PANHANDLE AND MULTIPLE DAILY
RECORDS FELL FOR SEVERAL DAYS. ON THE 18TH OF APRIL KLAWOCK SET A
HISTORIC RECORD BY HITTING 75F, THE EARLIEST SUCH OCCURRENCE IN A
CALENDAR YEAR FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA. AFTER THE BLOCKING PATTERN
THAT CAUSED THE WARMUP BROKE DOWN, COOLER BUT NEAR NORMAL AND WETTER
CONDITIONS ARRIVED BACK INTO THE REGION AND WOULD HOLD OUT THROUGH
MUCH OF MAY.
THE BIG STORY FOR THE FIRST MONTH OF SUMMER (JUNE) ONCE AGAIN CAME
WITH ANOTHER IMPOSING BLOCKING RIDGE SETTLING IN OVER THE PANHANDLE
AND MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA TOWARD THE END OF THE MONTH. DUE
TO THE ORIENTATION OF THE RIDGE, SOUTHEAST ALASKA WAS SPARED FROM
THE EXTREME HEAT THAT WAS EXPERIENCED THROUGH THE PAC NW AND WESTERN
CANADA. THE DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS THAT WERE SET THROUGH OUR
REGION DO NOT PROPERLY CONVEY JUST HOW IMPOSING THIS RIDGE WAS.
BRITISH COLUMBIA, OREGON AND WASHINGTON WOULD SEE ALL TIME HIGH
TEMPERATURE RECORDS SHATTERED (IN THE CASE OF BC, THIS WOULD ALSO
INCLUDE THE ENTIRETY OF CANADA) DURING THIS HEATWAVE. WELL ABOVE
NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE WOULD PUSH MANY LOCATIONS TO
EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE WETTEST (IF NOT THE WETTEST) FIRST HALVES OF A
YEAR ON RECORD. TOWARD THE END OF THAT MONTH, WITH THE TAKU RIVER
ALREADY IN MINOR FLOOD STAGE, A GLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOOD WOULD
CAUSE A RISE TO A NEW RECORD 45.5FT. THE BALANCE OF THE SUMMER WAS
LARGELY UNEVENTFUL WITH JULY BEING DRIER THAN NORMAL AND AUGUST
BEING WETTER THAN NORMAL. REGARDING TEMPERATURES, MOST OF THE
PANHANDLE SAW A SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN NORMAL SUMMER HOWEVER THE
NORTHEAST GULF COAST STAYED SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.
SEPTEMBER USHERED IN THE BEGINNING OF AUTUMN AS IT DOES EVERY YEAR,
WITH FAIRLY TYPICAL CONDITIONS FOR THE TIME OF YEAR. YAKUTAT WAS THE
FIRST TO OBSERVE A FREEZE ON SEPTEMBER 26TH, WHICH IS 6 DAYS LATER
THAN NORMAL. THE OUTLIER FROM NEAR-NORMAL CONDITIONS OF THE MONTH
WAS KETCHIKAN WITH OVER 9 INCHES MORE PRECIPITATION THAN NORMAL FOR
THE MONTH. OCTOBER BEGAN WITH AN INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS IN THE 90S FROM EAGLECREST TO LINCOLN ISLAND
IN CLARENCE STRAIT. THIS SYSTEM ALSO BROUGHT THE FIRST WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE SEASON FOR THE KLONDIKE HIGHWAY. THE MONTH
WOULD END WITH TRICK-OR-TREATERS FINDING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE DENSE
FOG IN JUNEAU, WHICH LASTED OVER 24 HOURS AND DISRUPTED TRAVEL.
WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL FINALLY ARRIVED IN NOVEMBER, A BIT LATER THAN
NORMAL, AND DIDNT STOP. SOME AREAS HAD 3 TIMES THEIR NORMAL
SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH AS MANY AREAS WERE 2 TO 4 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL RESULTING IN SNOWFALL AS THE MAIN PRECIPITATION TYPE INSTEAD
OF RAIN. A STRONG SYSTEM IN NOVEMBER ALSO CAUSED POWER OUTAGES IN
WRANGELL.
DECEMBER ENDS THE YEAR AS THE START OF ANOTHER WINTER SEASON,
BRINGING WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE PANHANDLE.
NOTABLE OVERNIGHT LOWS OCCURRED ON THE 25TH AND 26TH AT KETCHIKAN
WHERE THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 0F BOTH MORNINGS, WHICH TIES THE
SECOND COLDEST TEMPERATURES AT THE LOCATION DURING ANY DECEMBER ON
RECORD. KETCHIKAN WOULD SEE THE GREATEST DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL WITH
AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 10.5 DEGREES F BELOW NORMAL! DUE TO COLD
TEMPERATURES AND CONSISTENT PRECIPITATION, THE SNOW KEPT PILING UP,
ESPECIALLY ON ROOFTOPS. OVERALL, THE PANHANDLE SHOWED A SIMILAR
STORY THIS YEAR AND ENDED WITH NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION, BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES, AND ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL.
JDR/KRT
$$