In July, Alaska saw record heat, scant rainfall and raging wildfires. Now, an atmospheric river, a fire hose of moisture originating from the tropical Pacific Ocean, is soaking large parts of the state.
More than 4 inches of rain fell in a single day late last week in some areas, equivalent to more than a month’s worth of precipitation, causing flooding and establishing new rainfall records.
Nome registered 2.47 inches of rain Friday, beating its previous 24-hour rainfall total of 2.38 inches set in 1956. It also marked Nome’s first day with more than 2 inches of rain since 1957.
In Elim, 100 miles east of Nome, 3.28 inches came down. That also appears to have set an record for 24-hour rainfall. Elim hit 58 degrees Friday at the same time, setting a record high temperature for the date.
Northeast of Elim, Hogatza River saw a whopping 4.82 inches. It’s all in character for atmospheric rivers, which can slingshot uncharacteristic warmth and humidity all the way up to the Arctic Circle.
“The rain mostly came in two shots, with a 16-hour break,” said Rick Thoman, an Alaska climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center. “The atmosphere had an extremely high moisture content. There was even flooding on the Dalton highway.”
Most impacted was the stretch of road between the Yukon River and the Brooks Range.
Since Friday, Denali National Park has picked up more than 5 inches of rain, with a number of spots in the area eclipsing 4 inches in 24 hours.
“It’s as high as anything I can remember in Denali,” said Jim Brader, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Fairbanks. “We saw as high as 6.7 inches within four days in Denali.”
Average July or August rainfall tends to be closer to 2.8 inches.
