Cool weather has continued lately in Barrow (see chart below), and it now looks likely that the June-July period there will end up as the coolest in more than 30 years. The unusual atmospheric circulation is responsible, with persistent troughing over the Chukchi Sea.
Based on the NWS forecast for the remainder of July, the mean June-July temperature in Barrow should end up near 36.0 °F, which would be the coolest since 1982 - and about equal to the 1951-1980 normal.
Here's the mean 500 mb height from June 1 to July 24:
And the 500 mb height anomaly; with this pattern, a cool, damp summer in interior and northern Alaska is inevitable.
This presentation certainly looks like a source of our bleak summer so far. The CPC is calling for a better August...and maybe longer like previous years.
ReplyDeleteGary