Climate Watch

February was only the second month since January 2020 to have an average temperature lower than normal.

The monthly average temperature at the Nome airport was 1.9°F, which is a substantial 5.5°F below the 1981-2010 normal. The highest temperature was 32°F on February 12 and the lowest temperature was 23°F on Feb. 19.

Snowfall was fairly light, and most of that fell the first half of the month. The snow melted down to 0.49 inches of liquid, which is only half of normal.

The average wind speed for the month at Nome Airport of 9.7 mph was lower than average, with light winds dominating the second half of the month. For communities with complete temperature data in February from their FAA airstrip weather stations, Wales was the coldest with an average temperature of -8.1°F and Unalakleet equaled Nome at 1.9°F for the highest monthly average temperature.

For the 2020-21 winter season, the average temperature at Nome of 7.8°F is very close to normal, with the colder February mostly balancing out the milder than average December and January. Unlike some other parts of Alaska, winter temperature trends in Nome are noticeable, but not strong. In Nome, 110 years ago, a “near normal” winter had an average temperature between about 3°F and 7°F. Nowadays, a three-month average temperature between 6°F and 9°F would qualify as a “near normal”. While the changing environment can sometimes be very dramatic —think open water on the beach in Nome for Iditarod finish 2019— more often change is slow, but over several generations becomes important for the interconnected environment and activities on the land and ocean.