ABAK34 PABR 031827
PNSBRW
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BARROW AK
927 AM AKST TUE NOV 3 2009
...OCTOBER 2009 WAS WARM AND WET IN BARROW...
OCTOBER WAS THE SECOND MONTH IN A ROW IN WHICH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES WERE RECORDED. THIS MONTH WAS ON TRACK TO BE THE
WARMEST OCTOBER IN STATION HISTORY...BUT COLDER AIR AIDED BY
CLEARING SKIES ALLOWED THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON THE 30TH AND 31ST
TO DROP TO 2 BELOW AND 3 BELOW ZERO RESPECTIVELY...THE LATER WAS ALSO
THE LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH. OCTOBER OF 2009
CONCLUDED AS THE 3RD WARMEST OCTOBER IN STATION HISTORY. FIVE OF THE
TOP TEN WARMEST OCTOBERS HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN THE LAST TEN YEARS. THE
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS 24.9 DEGREES...WHICH IS 10.3 DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL. THREE RECORD BREAKING DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE SET
DURING THE MONTH...EACH BREAKING THE PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURE SET BACK IN THE WARM OCTOBER OF 1998. BEGINING ON
COLUMBUS DAY THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 37 DEGREES...WHICH BROKE
THE OLD RECORD DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 35 DEGREES...THE NEXT RECORD
DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 38 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE FOLLOWING DAY
THE 12TH..WHICH WAS ALSO THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH AND
SHATTERED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 35 DEGREES...THE FINAL RECORD DAILY
HIGH TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 15TH AND REACHED 35
DEGREES EXCEEDING THE OLD RECORD OF 34 DEGREES. THE ABOVE FOUR DAY
PERIOD BEGINING ON COLUMBUS DAY IS THE HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
AVERAGE FOR THAT PERIOD IN STATION HISTORY. 
PRECIPITATION FELL ON ALL BUT 9 DAYS OF THE MONTH...WITH THE TOTAL
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH AT 0.44 INCHES...WHICH IS 0.05 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL. THE GREATEST DAILY PRECIPITATION WAS ON THE 21ST AND
22ND WHEN 0.10 INCHES WERE RECORDED. THE LATER DATE ALSO TIED THE
DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORD BACK IN 1923. WITH ONSHORE WINDS AND THE
SEA WATER TEMPERATURE AVERAGING NEAR 30 DEGREES...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN
OR LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE FELL ON TEN DAYS OF THE MONTH. THE TOTAL
MONTLY SNOWFALL WAS 8.8 INCHES...WHICH IS 1.4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
THE HIGHEST DAILY SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 21ST WHEN
2.1 INCHES WERE MEASURED. AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW DEPTH WAS MEASURED
SINCE THE 17TH...WHILE THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH OF 7 INCHES WAS
MEASURED ON THE 28TH. 
WINDS FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED 13.3 MPH. THE WIND AVERAGED GREATER THAN
15 MPH ON 9 DAYS. WIND GUSTS OF 30 MPH OR GREATER WERE REPORTED ON 11
DAYS WITH GUSTS OVER 35 MPH OCCURRING ON 7 DAYS. A TIGHT PRESSURE
GRADIENT CAUSED BY INTERACTION BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER
THE HIGH ARCTIC AND A POTENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE GULF OF
ALASKA ENABLED THE WINDIEST DAY ON THE 22ND WITH AN AVERAGE WIND
SPEED OF 34.2 MPH...WITH THE MAX GUST FOR THE MONTH ON THE SAME DAY
AT 48 MPH...THIS EVENT TRIGGERED A DANGEROUS COMBINATION OF SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW WHICH CAUSED NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN BARROW...
LEADING TO THE FIRST BLIZZARD WARNING OF THE SEASON.
 COOLEST (F)      WARMEST (F)      WETTEST (IN)      SNOWIEST (IN)
1. 0.5 (1970)    1. 25.5 (2006)   1. 1.65 (1925)    1. 23.2 (2008)
2. 2.0 (1988)    2. 25.2 (1938)   2. 1.51 (2003)    2. 21.2 (1925)
3. 3.8 (1924)    3. 24.9 (2009)   3. 1.40 (1972)    3. 19.1 (1997)
4. 5.2 (1975)    4. 24.7 (1998)   4. 1.28 (1959)    4. 19.0 (1926)
5. 5.5 (1996)    5. 24.0 (2003)   5. 1.27 (1926)    5. 15.9 (2003)
$$
JS NOV 09