Weather Whys; Alaska

This is weather-wise. As most Americans may already suspect, Alaska is one of the chilliest states in the Union. For instance, the average annual temperature in Fairbanks is around 25 degrees, and on average more than half its annual precipitation comes from snow. Fairbanks is located in the Tanana Valley, well into the state's interior. It's just a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle, and its landlocked location gives it a climate that's classified as Continental Polar, which means it's relatively dry, but fairly responsive to heating from the sun. In fact, during the summer months, the temperature there has been known to approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, wintertime lows have gone well below minus 50. Less extreme is the capital city of Juno, which enjoys a more moderate climate because of its location on the coast. It's also quite a bit farther south than Fairbanks or even Anchorage. Juno sits snugly up against British Columbia near the Alexander Archipelago at the far

southeastern end of the state. Its yearly mean temperature approaches 40, and it receives nearly five times as much precipitation as Fairbanks. The all-time record high temperature there is about 90, while the record low is below minus 20. And what about snow? In Juno, at 12 feet above sea level, records on the average over 100 inches a year. Surprisingly, that's more than either Fairbanks or Anchorage. But in February of 1964, more snow fell in Alaska than even the greatest ski buff would want to see. In that one month, Thompson Pass received nearly 29 feet of snow. Whether wise is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The writer is Christine Harbour, our editor is Brian Walkie. For weather wise, I'm Drew Barba.