The snow is bleeding
March was the seventh straight month that the precipitation in Fairbanks was below normal. Only 0.09 inches of precipitation was measured at the airport. That is only one-third of the normal precipitation for March.
Only 1.44 inches of precipitation has been measured at Fairbanks International Airport since Oct. 1, the fourth-lowest total for that time period in more than a century of records, according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.
The normal precipitation for that six-month span is 3.45 inches.
Just 1.6 inches of snow fell during March, bringing the winter total to what the weather service described in its monthly weather summary as a “meager 24.8 inches.”
At this point, it’s the third-lowest total winter snowfall through the end of March on record since 1904.
What all that dry weather means in terms of spring breakup remains to be seen, but chances are breakup will be on the mild side in the Tanana Valley this year because of the low snowfall, said hydrologist Scott Lindsey at the National River Forecast Center.
“What causes the problem is when you have a lot of low elevation snow and you have a cold April and then it warms up and the low and high elevations snow melt contributes at the same time,” Lindsey said. “That’s not going to be the case this year.”
That’s because there’s hardly any snow left on the ground and there wasn’t much snow at low or high elevations north of the Alaska Range, he said.
“I don’t think there’s enough snow anywhere in the Tanana Valley to cause problems for Fairbanks,” Lindsey said, though he said ice jams in flood-prone areas like Salcha and Rosie Creek on the Tanana River always have the potential to cause minor flooding.
The National River Forecast Center will be evaluating snow depths taken around the state during the next week to formulate its initial breakup forecast, which will be released this week, Lindsey said.
With temperatures still dropping well below freezing at night and above-freezing temperatures during the day, the snow cover is slowly bleeding off.
“That’s the best situation for getting the snowpack off without having problems,” Lindsey said. “With the weather we’ve had this week, the south-facing slopes will be bare pretty soon.”
The high temperature at the airport on Friday was 50 degrees.
The dry weather could mean an early start to the fire season, meteorologist Heidi Strader with the Alaska Fire Service said. It was already dry going into the winter, and the low snowfall means dead brush and grass will dry out quicker this spring, she said. That could mean more man-made fires between now and green-up.
“Here in the Interior, we’re definitely very dry to start,” she said. “That could lead us to a busy fire season early on. The snow is melting pretty quick in the last week.”
Would you rather be able to walk on water any time you want or be able to fly for three hours at a time but for only three times in your life? Fly
Today's trivia: The world's smallest park: Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, at 452 inches
Only 1.44 inches of precipitation has been measured at Fairbanks International Airport since Oct. 1, the fourth-lowest total for that time period in more than a century of records, according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.
The normal precipitation for that six-month span is 3.45 inches.
Just 1.6 inches of snow fell during March, bringing the winter total to what the weather service described in its monthly weather summary as a “meager 24.8 inches.”
At this point, it’s the third-lowest total winter snowfall through the end of March on record since 1904.
What all that dry weather means in terms of spring breakup remains to be seen, but chances are breakup will be on the mild side in the Tanana Valley this year because of the low snowfall, said hydrologist Scott Lindsey at the National River Forecast Center.
“What causes the problem is when you have a lot of low elevation snow and you have a cold April and then it warms up and the low and high elevations snow melt contributes at the same time,” Lindsey said. “That’s not going to be the case this year.”
That’s because there’s hardly any snow left on the ground and there wasn’t much snow at low or high elevations north of the Alaska Range, he said.
“I don’t think there’s enough snow anywhere in the Tanana Valley to cause problems for Fairbanks,” Lindsey said, though he said ice jams in flood-prone areas like Salcha and Rosie Creek on the Tanana River always have the potential to cause minor flooding.
The National River Forecast Center will be evaluating snow depths taken around the state during the next week to formulate its initial breakup forecast, which will be released this week, Lindsey said.
With temperatures still dropping well below freezing at night and above-freezing temperatures during the day, the snow cover is slowly bleeding off.
“That’s the best situation for getting the snowpack off without having problems,” Lindsey said. “With the weather we’ve had this week, the south-facing slopes will be bare pretty soon.”
The high temperature at the airport on Friday was 50 degrees.
The dry weather could mean an early start to the fire season, meteorologist Heidi Strader with the Alaska Fire Service said. It was already dry going into the winter, and the low snowfall means dead brush and grass will dry out quicker this spring, she said. That could mean more man-made fires between now and green-up.
“Here in the Interior, we’re definitely very dry to start,” she said. “That could lead us to a busy fire season early on. The snow is melting pretty quick in the last week.”
Would you rather be able to walk on water any time you want or be able to fly for three hours at a time but for only three times in your life? Fly
Today's trivia: The world's smallest park: Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, at 452 inches