May temperatures

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

Following a chilly start to May, temperatures rebounded the second and third weeks of the month across the region.
In fact, relative to normal, the Seward Peninsula, eastern Norton Sound and Northwest Arctic Borough were the mildest places in Alaska during this time.
Temperatures at the Nome Airport reached 50°F or higher on six consecutive days, which is quite unusual to happen this early in the year. Some places on the eastern Norton Sound coast and inland saw temperatures reach into the 60s, including 61°F at Pilgrim Hot Springs, 62°F at Council and 63°F at Unalakleet.
The Alaska Fire Service automated weather stations at the Quartz Creek airstrip, near the Kougarok River bridge, and at Haycock, north of Koyuk, both reached 64°F on May 16.
This sustained mild weather helped melt away much of the low elevation snowpack east of the York Mountains.
This week's Climate Watch graphics plots the number of days each year between May 1 and 17 that the temperatures at Nome reached 50°F or higher since 1946 (when Nome climate observations moved from downtown to the airport).
While this year’s mild weather is not record setting, it is in contrast to several recent years, when temperatures could barely break 50°F even in late May.
A natural question is: Does this tell us anything about the upcoming summer? The answer is a definite “maybe.” A number of the years with early May warmth went on to have a warmer than normal summer, including 2016, 2017 and 2020. But not always. Both 1994 and 1995 had well above average early May warmth only to wind up with significantly cooler than normal summers.