February 08, 2010
Monday

(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Ketchikan's weather is the highlight this January for Alaska, breaking two temperature records and two precipitation records. On Jan. 11 a high temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit tied the 1981 record high temperature, and on Jan. 20 the high temperature reached 55 degrees, breaking the old record of 51 degrees that had been set in 1995.

Ketchikan's mean temperature for the month was 40.2 degrees, a full 6.6 degrees higher than the mean. Precipitation in Ketchikan totaled 22.62 inches in January, almost doubling the normal amount of precipitation. A record amount of rain fell on Jan. 9, at 2.5 inches, followed by 6.02 inches on Jan. 10. The previous records were 2.4 inches and 2.27 inches, respectively. This rainfall event prompted the National Weather Service to issue a small stream flood advisory on the afternoon of Jan. 10, after a Weather Spotter observed ponding on the Tongass Highway and alerted Alaska State Troopers to the hazard.

Ketchikan's heating degree-days were only 465 in January, the mean being 973, less than half the normal amount. No snow was reported in Ketchikan in January.

Source of News:

Alaska Climate Research Center, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
http://akclimate.org

 

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