Climate Watch

April was exceptionally cold for Nome and all of western Alaska. The week of April 5-11 was especially notable. The temperature didn’t get above 0°F for four straight days; that has not happened in April since 1920. On April 8, Nome airport reported a low temperature of 30°F, which equaled the all-time record low for the month, and is the first monthly low temperature set or tied since September, 1992. Temperatures were less extreme but still mostly below normal the second half of the month. Overall, the average temperature of 8.4°F was more than 14 degrees below normal and is the fifth coldest April in Nome since 1907, but the second coldest in the past 50 years, with only April 1985 having been colder. While April this year was exceptionally cold, last year April was unusually warm. In fact , April 2022 was the eighth warmest April on record. These kinds of dramatic season-to-season or year-to-year swings in prevailing conditions are sometimes referred to as “climate whiplash.” Interestingly, this has happened before in Nome in April. In 1926, April was mild enough that almost 100 years later it’s still in the top ten warmest Aprils. The following year, April was nearly as cold as this year. However, the most dramatic example of climate whiplash at Nome was in February 1989 and 1990. Those of a certain age may recall that following the extended record cold the second half of January, 1989, including the alltime record low of -54°F January 27 and 28, the weather pattern completely changed, and February 1989 was relentlessly mild and stormy. With an average temperature of 22.5°F this still ranks as the mildest February in Nome climate history. Fast forward one year, to February 1990, when extreme cold prevailed start to finish. Half the days that month had lows in the 30s below, and the overall average temperature of -17.7°F is not only the coldest February on record but is still the lowest monthly average for any month in Nome’s 117 years of climate observations.