Temperatures in Southeast Alaska were for many communities the warmest on record, according to weather data collected by the National Weather Service.
Maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NWS data showed records were broken for Juneau, Petersburg, Annette and Haines, while Ketchikan had its second-warmest year on record.
In Petersburg, the average temperature for the year was 46.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.9 degrees higher than normal. Its previous warmest year was in 2015, when the average temperature was 45.6F. The previously warmest year was in 2004, with an average of 44.9F.
Total precipitation in 2016 was 101.26 inches, which was only 93 percent of the historical average. Total snowfall for the year was at 19.5 inches, 18.8 of which fell in the month of December. Climatologist Rick Thomen noted total precipitation had been near to somewhat below normal in most of Southeast. He pointed out that the northernmost parts of the region, in particular the Haines and Skagway areas, were nearly the only places in the whole state to have had significantly above-normal snowfall in 2016.
Contributors to the warmer than usual year included a strong El Niño phase during the winter of 2015-16, unrelated warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Alaska during both those years, and the larger scale multi-decade warming trend.
No reliable climate data was available for the Wrangell area itself. Since the beginning of 2012, the community has lacked a volunteer weather observer to measure and submit readings to the NWS. Across the country, more than 10,000 people participate in the Cooperative Observer Program, which supports the service’s record of local temperatures and precipitation. Those interested in participating in the program can contact Kim Vaughan at the NWS Forecast office in Juneau, at kimberly.vaughan@noaa.gov.
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