After a dry June sparked wildfire concerns, Alaska has had a very rainy July

A duck swims successful nan rainfall connected Anchorage’s Westchester Lagoon connected July 16, 2024. (Leigh Walden/Alaska Public Media)

It’s been rainy successful Alaska for overmuch of July truthful far, pinch Southcentral group to spot cloudy skies done nan week.

That comes connected nan heels of a drier than accustomed June, which sparked concerns arsenic wildfires burned crossed nan Interior. 

As portion of our Ask a Climatologist segment, National Weather Service ambiance interrogator Brian Brettschneider says nan rainfall is lessening those wildfire concerns, and though temperatures whitethorn look comparably cooler, it’s still a warmer-than-average summer.

Listen: 

This question and reply has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity. 

Brian Brettschneider: Obviously, rainfall is simply a awesome antidote for wildfire concerns. And it’s been, astatine slightest successful Southcentral, it was reasonably barren for nan period of June, and really astir of nan authorities it was barren for nan period of June. And we were getting much concerned astir nan conditions that mightiness beryllium susceptible to starting fires. But this rainfall has certainly, rather virtually put a damper connected that.

Wesley Early: And speaking of wildfires, location were a bunch that were burning successful nan Interior. You mentioned that a large chunk of nan authorities has seen rain. Is nan Interior portion of that large chunk?

BB: Yes. So if you look statewide, nan first half of July, we fundamentally had an full July’s worthy of rainfall, truthful far, connected mean statewide. You know, places for illustration Nome, it’s 5 times arsenic overmuch rainfall truthful acold that they should person had for nan first half of July. And beautiful overmuch each azygous position is good supra normal, pinch conscionable a mates of exceptions. And truthful nan fires that were burning, I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate occurrence that was burning that hasn’t gotten important rain. I’m not judge if they’re each retired aliases not, but nan rainfall has decidedly been a blessing for fire. And also, you know, July is fundamentally nan period of nan twelvemonth wherever we get nan astir lightning strikes by a wide margin. It’s July, and past it’s benignant of June to a lesser degree, August to an moreover lesser degree. And pinch each this, these wetting rains, and they’ve been a benignant of dependable rains, not convective, not thunderstorms, not astir arsenic much. And that’s besides bully for fires. And now we’re really only a fewer weeks distant from nan extremity of nan engaged clip of nan lightning season. So there’s not going to beryllium excessively galore much opportunities for caller fires to start, hopefully.

WE: We’re coming to nan extremity of what’s considered, benignant of, nan highest of wildfire season, highest of lightning season. What is nan remainder of nan summertime looking like?

BB: Well, nan Climate Prediction Center, they do monthly outlooks, and nan adjacent outlook, which is going to beryllium released connected Thursday, will show that nan southwest portion of nan authorities is astir apt to beryllium a small spot beneath normal temperatures. And past nan northbound and northeastern portion of nan authorities whitethorn beryllium a small spot warmer than normal and astir half nan authorities successful nan near-normal category. A very acquainted ambiance outlook shape that we’ve seen a number of times complete nan past fewer months, and nan August 1 looks to proceed that inclination besides pinch supra normal chances of being wetter than normal. And support successful mind, July and August are nan 2 wettest months of nan twelvemonth successful nan mainland, truthful not Southeast, but successful nan mainland, those are nan 2 wettest months of nan year. And truthful moreover near-normal rainfall during those months is simply a bully thing. It’s a bully magnitude of rainfall and we perchance could beryllium connected nan precocious extremity of that.

WE: And this seems to beryllium nan 2nd twelvemonth successful a statement wherever nan Lower 48 has had baking temperatures. I’ve seen truthful galore places that don’t usually person supra 100 degrees having supra 100 degrees. Alaska is having a… I don’t want to opportunity lackluster, but a little terrible summer. It seems for illustration an overseas inclination that arsenic nan Lower 48 bakes, Alaska has a comparatively cooler summer. Is that normal?

BB: Not really. There’s a small spot much relationship successful nan wintertime wherever location tin often beryllium benignant of a flip betwixt what Alaska experiences and what nan Lower 48 does. It doesn’t really activity retired truthful overmuch successful nan summer. So June statewide it was a apical 10 warmest June. It was besides a apical 10 driest June. And truthful we request to beryllium observant now that we’re successful a benignant of a cool bedewed shape to think, “Oh, this has been a cool, bedewed summer.” It really hasn’t been. In fact, for nan first half of nan summer, statewide, we’re benignant of precisely normal. The southwest portion of nan authorities is cooler than normal, nan eastbound portion of nan authorities is warmer than normal. But connected balance, we’re correct astatine nan 1991 to 2020 normal, which is warmer than erstwhile decades. So historically, this is still astir apt a warmest 3rd of each summers. And, you know, arsenic acold arsenic rainfall again, it was a very barren June. We’re decidedly making up for that truthful acold successful July and nan forecast looks for that to continue.