Alaska’s December temperatures are forecast to reflect last month’s warmer than usual pattern with intermittent cold snaps according to the state Climate Prediction Center.
Meteorologist Christian Cassell at the National Weather Service in Anchorage…
Cassell: “So basically we’re saying, especially for the Kenai Peninsula, there’s about a 40-55% chance of significantly above normal temperatures but that does not preclude there being significant cold spells during that time.”
This year’s higher than usual temperatures are an effect of the strongest El Niño on record, meaning well-above normal Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures and a change in trade winds over the past two years.
Cassell says the Alaskan Panhandle and Seward Peninsula could see a significantly drier winter than normal but for the Kenai Peninsula…
Cassell: “There’s just a slightly greater chance than normal of significant wetter weather but again, precipitation outlook scores are much lower than for temperature outlooks.”
The strong El Niño impacting Alaska and coastal northwestern states is also causing heavy monsoon seasons combined with below average temperatures in southwestern states like Texas and Oklahoma.