August 09, 2007
Thursday

Much of Alaska experienced a warmer than normal July this year, save for Southcentral and parts of the Panhandle. The strongest temperature departures were for the northwest portion of the state. Precipitation was plentiful in Southeast and parts of the Interior, though dry conditions prevailed in the northwest. It was especially dry on the Arctic coast.

Ketchikan had more than 10 inches of rainfall this July, and experienced only two days without rain. The precipitation total was 3.63 inches above average for the month. The highest daily total came on July 9, with 1.31 inches reported. Temperatures were near normal for July, with 57.7 degrees Fahrenheit as the monthly average. This was just a few tenths of a degree cooler than normal. The average high and low for the month was 64 degrees, and 51 degrees, respectively. The highest observed temperatures were 71 degrees Fahrenheit on July 12 and 17. The lowest observed temperature occurred on July 7. It was a chilly 43 degrees Fahrenheit.

Precipitation was abundant in Juneau this July, with 6.71 inches reported at the airport during the month. This was a departure from normal by 2.57 inches. Only three days during the month were without rainfall. Temperatures were quite close to normal, with a monthly average of 56.6 degrees Fahrenheit, just two tenths of a degree below average. The average high, 63 degrees, and the average low, 51 degrees, were also near normal for July. The high for the month was 71 degrees, and occurred on July 15. The low, 44 degrees, was reported on July 3. Fog was reported on 24 days during the month, and winds were relatively light. The mean monthly wind speed was 5.2 mph.

Fairbanks rounded out July with weather conditions similar to the previous month-warmer and wetter than normal. The average high for July was a balmy 74 degrees Fahrenheit and the average low was 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which was a bit warmer than normal. The mean monthly temperature was two degrees above average at 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The daily high temperature rose to 80 degrees, or higher, four times during July. It was 70 degrees, or warmer, on 25 days of the month. The mercury hit 82 degrees on July 3, 4, and 26. Temperatures dipped down to 47 degrees on July 16. Precipitation totaled 3.67 inches at the Fairbanks International Airport, a departure from normal of more than1.94 inches. Winds were light, averaging just 3 mph. However, a 35-mph gust out of the southeast occurred July 9. Thunderstorms were reported in the Fairbanks area on 10 days during the month.

Temperatures averaged slightly above normal in Big Delta this July. The average temperature for the month was 62.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 1.3 degrees above average. The daytime highs averaged almost 71 degrees and the nighttime lows averaged 54 degrees, both of which were warmer than normal. The high for the month, 79 degrees Fahrenheit, was reported on July 26. The low for the month occurred on July 6. It was 48 degrees. There were 17 days with measurable precipitation, mostly occurring during the first half of the month, for a total of 2.06 inches. Precipitation was 0.71 of an inch below average.

This July, conditions in Anchorage were close to climatology. In fact, the mean monthly temperature of 58.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the climatological normal, or 30-year average, for July. The average high for the month was 65 degrees. The average low was 52 degrees. The highest temperature of the month was 75 degrees, which occurred on July 29. The lowest recorded temperature was 48 degrees on July 3, 6, and 21. A total of 1.81 inches of precipitation was reported for the month, 0.11 of an inch above average. The highest daily precipitation total, 0.44 of an inch, occurred July 22.

Precipitation is normally quite light in Barrow. However, July reported only two days with measurable rainfall for a total of 0.04 of an inch. This total is 5 percent of the average July total of 0.87 of an inch. Along with the dryness came relative warmth, as the mean monthly temperature was 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit above average at 44.2 degrees. The average high temperature was 50.6 degrees. The average low temperature in July was a few degrees above freezing at 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Three new daily high temperature records were set during the month: 73 degrees on July 7; 67 degrees on July 6; and 65 degrees on July 18. The temperature did reach the freezing point on July 12, which was the low for the month.

July brought warmer and drier than normal weather to Nome this year. The average temperature, 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit, was a 3.3-degree departure from normal. The average high and low for the month was 63 degrees Fahrenheit and 48 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Both were a few degrees above average. There was a 41-degree difference between the highest and lowest observed temperatures for the month. It was 39 degrees on July 1, and 80 degrees on July 3. The high, 76 degrees Fahrenheit, occurred on July 5, and set a record for that date. Precipitation was 1.41 inches below average, with 0.74 of an inch. Measurable precipitation occurred on 11 days during the month. Winds average 7.2 mph at the airport. However, a 31-mph wind from
the west was reported on July 18, which was the greatest experienced for the month.

Conditions were near normal in King Salmon this July. The mean temperature of the month was just a tenth of a degree cooler than normal at 55.2 degrees Fahrenheit. A record low temperature was reported on July 17. It was 39 degrees. This also was the low for the month, and occurred on July 2 as well. The high for July was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, which occurred on July 27. The average high and lows for the month were 64 and 51 degrees, respectively. Precipitation totaled 1.74 inches, which was slightly below normal for July. Winds averaged 7.8 mph and a high wind gust of 38 mph out of the northeast was reported on July 25.

Note:

This information consists of preliminary climatological data that was compiled at the Alaska Climate Research Center, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. For more information on weather and climatology, visit the center's web site at http://climate.gi.alaska.edu

Source of News:

Alaska Climate Research Center, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu

 

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