PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
236 PM AKDT SAT NOV 1 2008

...THE 4TH COLDEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT FAIRBANKS...

THIS PAST OCTOBER WAS THE 4TH COLDEST OCTOBER IN MORE THAN A
CENTURY OF WEATHER OBSERVATIONS IN FAIRBANKS. THE AVERAGE HIGH
TEMPERATURE WAS 23.1 DEGREES WHILE THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 7.1
DEGREES. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 15.1 DEGREES WAS 8.4 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. THE COLDEST OCTOBER IN FAIRBANKS WAS 1996...WHEN THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 13.1 DEGREES. THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
WAS LARGELY THE RESULT OF PERSISTENT LOW TEMPERATURES RATHER THAN
ANY DAILY EXTREMES. THERE WERE NO RECORD LOWS SET...BUT ONLY TWO
DAYS DURING THE MONTH HAD A DAILY TEMPERATURE AVERAGE ABOVE
NORMAL.

THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT DURING THE MONTH WAS 49
DEGREES ON THE 10TH AND THE LOW WAS 13 BELOW ON THE 29TH. THE
TEMPERATURE ROSE ABOVE FREEZING ON ONLY FIVE DAYS IN
OCTOBER...WHILE ON FOUR DAYS THE TEMPERATURE FAILED TO BREAK OUT
OF THE SINGLE DIGITS. A TOTAL OF 13 DAYS HAD LOW TEMPERATURES OF
ZERO OR LOWER...THE MOST FOR ANY OCTOBER SINCE 1965. AS USUAL...IT
WAS COLDER IN LOW-LYING AREAS AWAY FROM TOWN. LOWS FOR OCTOBER
INCLUDED 18 BELOW AT NORTH POLE...20 BELOW AT THE GOLDSTREAM
VALLEY BOTTOM AND 22 BELOW AT WOODSMOKE...OFF OF BADGER ROAD NEAR
NORTH POLE.

SNOWFALL THIS PAST OCTOBER WAS VERY NEAR NORMAL WITH A TOTAL OF
12.2 INCHES. THE MELTED SNOW...AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF RAIN EARLY IN
THE MONTH...TOTAL 0.76 INCHES...A BIT BELOW NORMAL. THE WINTER
SNOWPACK WAS ESTABLISHED ON OCTOBER 13TH...JUST A FEW DAYS EARLIER
THAN NORMAL. BY MONTHS END SIX INCHES OF SNOW WAS ON THE
GROUND...AGAIN VERY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR HALLOWEEN. 

LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER...AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO FALL
SHARPLY AS HEATING FROM THE SUN BECOMES NEGLIGIBLE BY MID MONTH.
THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FALLS FROM 20 ON THE FIRST TO 6 ABOVE
BY THE 30TH. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPS FROM 6 ABOVE ON THE
FIRST TO 11 BELOW ON THE 30TH. IN THE PAST 104 YEARS...TEMPERATURES
HAVE RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 54 ON NOVEMBER 25 1936 TO A LOW OF 
54 BELOW ON NOVEMBER 29 1909. NOVEMBER IS...ON AVERAGE...THE
SNOWIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR IN FAIRBANKS...AVERAGING ABOUT 14
INCHES. HOWEVER...FOUR OF THE EIGHT DRIEST NOVEMBERS OF RECORD
HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 2001. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE DECREASES IN NOVEMBER 
FROM 7 HOURS AND 47 MINUTES ON THE FIRST TO 4 HOURS AND 44 MINUTES
ON THE 30TH.

$$
RT/CB NOV 08