September 2014 Weather Summary

Date: November 17, 2014
Contact: Deb Kurtz, 907-422-0544

September marked the arrival of autumn in the Kenai Fjords area with relatively mild conditions including warmer than normal temperatures, slightly above-normal precipitation and no significant wind events. Daytime high temperatures remained in the 50's and 60's (degrees F) with a maximum high of 69 degrees F reached on September 7^th. Nighttime lows were well above freezing on most nights, providing an extended growing season for local gardeners. The coldest temperature of the month was 33 degrees F, recorded at the Seward airport on September 26^th. Local streams and rivers saw minor flooding mid-month during typical September storms, but the month ended with clear skies and no precipitation.

As recorded at the Seward airport,the monthly average temperature for September was 52.0 degrees F; 2.5 degrees F above the 30-year normal. The total precipitation was 10.52 inches (107% of normal), 0.66 inches above the 30-year normal (1981-2010) for the month.

Also of note:                                                               

• The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center's three month weather outlook (October-November-December) favors above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation for the Kenai Fjords area.
• Record warm temperatures across Alaska maritime locations may affect marine food webs such as jellyfish populations and salmon returns.
• Changes to the summer sea ice extent in arctic Alaska force walruses to seek new habitat and haul-out onshore in early fall.
• New research published in the journal The Cryosphere shows that the polar ice caps are melting at the fastest rate ever resulting in a loss of 500 cubic kilometers of ice each year.
• Researchers at the University of Michigan identified sunlight as a key player in the release of carbon from thawing permafrost.
• Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark report that arctic sea ice removes CO₂from the atmosphere. As sea ice continues to melt, less CO₂will be absorbed, resulting in an increase in atmospheric CO_2.
• Is Alaska going to be the next Florida?The Guardian reports that by the end of the century, climate change will make Alaska’s climate one of the most comfortable places to live in the U.S.
• NOAA climate services portal serves as a single point-of-entry for NOAA's extensive climate information, data, products, services, and the climate science magazine ClimateWatch.

Read more to find out about the local climate for September 2014 (PDF)