Climate Watch

By Rick Thoman Alaska Climate Specialist Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy International Arctic Research Center/University of Alaska Fairbanks

The Nome area has finally enjoyed a run of dry days.

In fact, until the current cool and dry weather the last time Nome had a week of no rain (or snow) was back in May. With the frequent rains over the summer and early fall now behind us, it seems appropriate to document this here on Climate Watch.

July through October is, on average, the wettest four months of the year for western Alaska with more inches of rain (or water equivalent of than half of the annual average precipitation melted snow). That’s the threshold occurring in that time. we commonly use for “measurable Frequent rain - and some snow precipitation” and is about the thrown in during October - is not unusual. amount of rain required to completely But 2023 stands out — not for wet the ground or other surfaces. the total amount of precipitation: just since 2010 there have been three The 78 days this year was 14 days

Barge caught after drifting

years, including 2022, that had more than the long-term average higher amounts — but rather it was (that’s two extra weeks of “wet

loose in Bering Strait

just how often it rained that was days”) and six days more than the really unusual. previous record of 72 days in 1989.

The graphic plots the number of And while the last three years days in the July through October have had more wet days than average, period each year between 1930 and so far at least there’s no longterm 2023, and you can see that this year, trend for more wet days during with 78 out of 123, nearly two out of Nome’s wet time of year. every three days, had at least 0.01