Climate Outlook for September

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

The climate outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center for September slightly favors above normal temperatures on the eastern Norton Sound coast for the month overall, but neither above nor below normal is favored elsewhere in the region.
However, above normal rainfall is favored across the region for September. For reference, the average daily high temperature at Nome Airport in September is 49°F and the average low 37°F. Since 1907, temperatures have ranged from as high as 71°F in 1979 to low as 9°F in 1992.
September is the last month of the western Alaska rainy season, averaging a bit over two inches total, though September precipitation has totaled as much as 7.5 inches in 1986 to as little as 0.06 inches in 2008.
While the first snow flurries of the season typically occur in September, accumulating snow at the Nome Airport happens only about one in three years. The earliest accumulating snow on record in Nome was September 3, 1986 when about quarter of an inch of snow accumulated. The earliest inch of snow was on September 10, 1992, which is still, by far, the coldest September not only at Nome but over nearly all of Alaska except for the Aleutians and Panhandle. Heavier September snows of course occur at higher elevations, and at Unalakleet in 1957 almost a foot of snow fell.