summer has been one of alaska's coldest

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Summer has been one of

Alaska's coldestHigh temperatures this season were 3rd lowest

on recordBy CRAIG MEDRED

[email protected]

Published: September 7th, 2008 12:04 AM

Last Modified: September 7th, 2008 02:50 AM

Summer is officially over in Alaska, and if you got out in the

sun to enjoy both days of it you were lucky.

Those were the two July days the

temperature at the offices of the

National Weather Service in

Anchorage hit 70 degrees or better.

"Those temperatures occurred at the beginning of the month (of July)

and were immediately followed by a long stretch of cool and wet

weather.

"With only two days above 70 degrees this year, that sets a new record

for the fewest days to reach 70,'' the weather-watching agency reported

Friday.

Add to the lack of heat and sunshine what the agency calls "an

astonishing 77%" of days colder than normal, and you get the picture.

This summer was every bit as bad as you thought it was.

Gardens didn't grow. Salmon returned late. Bees didn't make honey. Swallows didn't breed.

And the sunbathing, well, what sunbathing?

On average, Anchorage sees 16 days that hit 70 or

better.

Not this year. Not since 1980 has there been a

summer less reflective of global warming than this

one. Consider these 2008 benchmarks from the

weather service that say this month won't be any

better:

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Over the course of the past 87 years, September

temperatures have reached 70 only 17 times, and two

of those 70-degree days came in the same year,

according to the weather service.

On average, a 70-degree September day comes along

about once every five years, but those days also tend

to come in warm years, not years like this one.

Overall, the weather service ranks the summer of

2008 as having the third coolest average high

temperatures since record keeping began. Only the

summers of 1973 and 1971 were worse. In overall

average daily temperatures, 2008 ranked 11th place.

CLOUDS ARE GOOD?

All that stopped this summer from winning a place as coldest ever was, strangely enough, its

cloudy grimness.

"What seemed like endless days of cloud cover kept the daytime highs averaging 3 degrees below

normal," according to the weather service. "Inversely, the cloud cover helped to keep overnight

temperatures up.

"The minimum temperatures in the summer of 2008 only ranked as the 34th coolest on record."

Now, there's something to cheer about. That and the fact that, though the summer left the birds

and the bees struggling, the mosquitoes seemed to be doing just fine.

So what can you expect from here on out?

"September climatologically opens with high temperatures around 60 and overnight lows in the

middle 40s,'' says the local office of the weather service. Followed by October, when temperatures

start to really drop, to the 20s and 30s by the end of the month.

That is the normal pattern.

This year?

The National Climate Prediction center is calling for "below normal temperatures along southern

Alaska (through September)." Warm waters flowing north into the Gulf of Alaska mean

Southcentral Alaska could be back to "normal" -- if there is such a thing -- by October or

November.

That would be just in time for the snow-sport season that lasts about twice as long as summer.

Meanwhile, in case you forgot, the days are getting shorter, too.

Contact Craig Medred [email protected] or call 257-4588.

2008 numbers

• Anchorage's average high temperature was 60.9 degrees, 3 degrees below normal.



47

46

45

44

43

42

41

• The average low was 47.7 degrees, 1.9 degrees below normal.

• The average for the season was 54.3 degrees, 2.4 degrees below normal.

-- National Weather Service

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Comments

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - 4:57am | banglijk

Cold summer....

Must be that global cooling.

Monday, September 8, 2008 - 5:01pm | jipster69

Want some cheese with that wine?

Back in my day, I had to walk up hill both ways to... errr, uhh, get where I was goin. Do you think

the weather was on my mind? 70's only twice? Humm... I do think thats about how many times I

off my polar fleece. Didn't really notice. Bout' time to put the shell on and get to walkin. Besides...

there are really only two seasons, winter and road construction.

Monday, September 8, 2008 - 12:10pm | georgecostanza

Global Warming

Does anybody know the whereabouts of Al Gore ?

Monday, September 8, 2008 - 10:05am | grlao

cold July, warm August-September (so far)

Seems like most of July was just below 50 degrees here in Nome. It's quite balmy now, for

September at least.

Sunday, September 7, 2008 - 10:40pm |

Removed

This post was deleted for being off topic or violating the ADN user agreement. We encourage

readers to "flag" offensive or off-topic comments for review by ADN staff.

Sunday, September 7, 2008 - 10:17pm | mike45

No such thing as inclement weather....

Only inadequate dress.

Sunday, September 7, 2008 - 9:59pm | AKmidnightsun

Whew...

It has been oddly hot lately when the sun comes out over here at the west coast of Bethel. I hope

it doesn't get too cold this winter...*crossed fingers*... :/

See all 47 comments



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summer has been one of alaska's coldest

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