Fairbanks records its third wettest day in history as snow storm sweeps through Alaska, U.S.
Fairbanks experienced its third wettest day on record on Monday, October 21, 2024, receiving nearly 50.8 mm (2 inches) of rain as a winter storm swept through Alaska, breaking daily precipitation records across multiple locations.
Image credit: NOAA/GOES-East, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Acquired at 23:00 UTC on October 21, 2024
Fairbanks experienced its third wettest day on record (since 1916) and set a new daily precipitation record, after recording 50.5 mm (1.99 inches) of rain on October 21. This surpassed the previous record of 7.9 mm (0.31 inches) set on October 21, 1935.
Tanana recorded 20.1 mm (0.79 inches) of precipitation, breaking the previous daily record of 14 mm (0.55 inches) set in 1975. Bettles recorded 16.8 mm (0.66 inches), surpassing the prior record of 6.9 mm (0.27 inches) set in 1975. Nome broke its old daily precipitation record of 8.4 mm (0.33 inches), set in 1938, after recording 22.4 mm (0.88 inches) of rain on Monday.
Notably, most of these locations received precipitation in the form of snow, but some coastal regions experienced only rain.
The heavy precipitation was caused by an ongoing winter storm that brought significant snowfall to Fairbanks on Monday, October 21. Schools and businesses were closed after 10 – 25 cm (4 – 10 inches) of snow fell across the region, accompanied by freezing rain from Sunday night, October 20, into Monday morning.
Snowfall and rain are expected to continue through Tuesday, October 22.
Local MACS transit buses were suspended on Monday and the University of Alaska also canceled in-person classes for the day.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning at 04:00 local time (LT) on Monday for Fairbanks, Eielson Air Force Base, Salcha, Goldstream Valley, Nenana Hills, Two Rivers, and Nenana.
According to NWS meteorologist Bobby Bianco, a cold snap began over the weekend, with temperatures ranging between -12.2 °C and -6.7 °C (10 – 20 °F) on Friday, October 18.
Saturday, October 19, was the coldest day of the week, with a low of -10.6 °C (13 °F) and a high of -8.3 °C (17 °F). Some locations, like Goldstream Valley, experienced temperatures near -17.8 °C (0 °F).
The cold weather over the weekend resulted from a weak cold front moving from the West Coast to Alaska. “There was just enough lift and moisture for it to snow continuously over the weekend,” said Bianco.
The storm started on Sunday evening, with residents reporting 10 – 15 cm (4 – 6 inches) of snow overnight. Areas near the hills received almost 18 cm (7 inches), with one resident in Ester reporting 25 cm (10 inches) of snow by 08:00 LT on Monday morning.
According to Bianco, Fairbanks received around 24.4 cm (9.6 inches) of snowfall this month. Typically, Fairbanks receives about 19 mm (0.76 inches) of rain and 20.8 cm (8.2 inches) of snow at this time of year.
“The next couple of days will be very interesting,” Bianco said. “I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what’s going to happen.”
Heavy rain persisted throughout Monday, breaking records across the region. Fairbanks is expected to experience snow showers and squalls lasting around 30 minutes at a time through Tuesday.
Power outages are possible due to the pressure from rain and snow on power lines.
According to Bianco, Tuesday afternoon will bring another burst of snow, with Fairbanks expecting 2.5 – 7.6 cm (1 – 3 inches) from residual snow showers into Wednesday and Thursday, October 23 and 24. Around 10 – 20 cm (4 – 8 inches) is expected in town, with 30 – 45 cm (12 – 18 inches) forecast for the hills, White Mountains, and summits along the Steese Highway.
References:
1 Winter storm brings heavy snow, freezing rain to Interior – Newsminer – October 22, 2024
2 Fairbanks snowstorm closes borough schools, buildings – Alaska Public Media – October 21, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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