ALASKA and NORTHWESTERN CANADA 

Weather and Climate Highlights and Impacts, Sept. 2016 - Nov. 2016; Climate Outlook Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017

NORTH SLOPE: Utqiaġvik (Barrow) experienced the 

warmest Fall season on record. The average temperature of 

26.0°F / -3.0°C was 9.3°F (5.0°C) above normal.

FAIRBANKS: Sept. to Nov. snowfall of 5.2” 

(13 cm) was only 20% of normal value. This is 

the lowest since 1953.

FORT ST. JOHN: Early start to winter 

with 9” (23 cm) of snow on October 1st; the 

biggest early season snowfall since records 

began in 1942.

FORT NELSON: A very wet 

September with double the amount of 

precipitation of 3.2” (80.6 mm), 

compared to normal of 1.6” (40.2 mm).

Fall 2016 was 25.8°F (-3.4°C) in Alaska. This is 

2.6°F (1.4°C) above the long-term mean and 

was the 17th warmest during the 1925-present 

time period.

DAWSON: Mild temperatures and 

an unusually late freeze-up of the 

Yukon River in Dawson prevented 

supplies from crossing the river.

SOUTHEAST ALASKA: 

Every long-term climate station 

reported their driest or second 

driest October on record. Some 

had precipitation that was half 

of the previous driest. amount..

ANCHORAGE: A high 

wind event had gusts to 90 

mph (145 km/hr) on Hillside, 

causing property damage..

WHITEHORSE: Average 

temperature during the month of 

November was 9°F (5°C) above 

normal.

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SEA ICE: Arctic Ocean sea ice extent for September was 

the 5th lowest on record. The extent for October and 

November were also the lowest on record. 

DUTCH HARBOR: The streak of 

consecutive months with above normal 

temperatures was extended to 42 in a row 

with the warmer than normal November.

INUVIK: Driest October on record with 

only 0.3” (7.4 mm) of precipitation 

compared to a normal of 1.1” (28.0 mm).
Temperature & Precipitation, Sept.-Nov. 2016

Fall 2016 saw near normal temperatures in the central Yukon and northern Northwest 

Territories (NWT). Every other portion of the region was above, or significantly above 

normal. Most of the areas in the near normal category were actually slightly above normal. 

Along the Alaska North Slope, Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) experienced their warmest fall on 

record. This is largely a result of record low Arctic Ocean sea ice. Record warm Pacific 

Ocean waters contributed to the unrelenting warmth of the coastal regions. Precipitation in 

southeastern Alaska was below normal for the season and at a record low for the month of 

October. Nearly every station in southeast Alaska had their driest October on record. In 

northwest Canada, almost all of the Yukon Territory was drier than normal. Most other areas 

were near normal in Canada. The northern portion of Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula were 

the only regions with above normal precipitation. This is likely due to warm, ice-free water 

which provides atmospheric heat and moisture at a time of year when it is typically locked 

away under ice.

2

Wet

Dry

North American Drought Monitor. Drought status as of November 15, 2016. 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/drought/nadm/maps 

Wet

Source: NOAA and ECCC 

Source: NOAA and ECCC 

Above

Normal Near

Normal

Above

Normal

Drought Status

Continued dry conditions in the fall season resulted in increasing drought conditions across 

northern British Columbia, southeastern and east-central Alaska, southern Yukon Territory, 

and parts of the Northwest Territories (NWT). The yellow shading on the map below 

indicates the least severe category of drought; abnormally dry. Portions of north-central 

British Columbia are classified as having moderate drought conditions. Small areas along 

the British Columbia coast are also in the severe drought category.
Ice Concentration in the Beaufort Sea: November 2016

The minimum sea ice coverage in

the Beaufort Sea occurred during

the second week of September with

only 4.9% of the basin ice

covered. This is the second lowest

recorded minimum ice coverage in

the region since 2012. It is also 

well below the climate median of

40%. At the sea ice minimum, little

old ice remained in the Beaufort

Sea.

Through September, sea ice

remained near 5 % ice cover. The

new ice began to develop in early

October in the northern section of

the Beaufort Sea. In the first two

weeks of November ice was still in

low concentrations off the Alaskan

Coast. This is well behind the usual

freeze-up date of ice in the region.

By the end of November, the

Beaufort Sea was finally fully ice

covered; one month behind the

median date for this region.

Because of the very low ice

coverage in the Beaufort Sea in

September, the amount of old ice

present over the region at the end

of November is well below the

climate normal amount. This is 

similar to the amount seen during

the lowest recorded year, 2012.

During November, sea ice filled in

across the Beaufort Sea, but

coverage remained unusually low in

the Chukchi Sea. At the end of the

month, much of the offshore Chukchi

Sea from 72N south to the Bering

Strait remained ice-free. This was a

significant change from 2015. In

2015, there was only a little open

water remaining north of 70N at the

end of the month and ice was already

present in the Bering Strait.

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Source: Anchorage National Weather Service Ice Desk

Source: Canadian Ice Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Change in Sea Ice Extent at the End of November in 2015 and 2016

2015 2016
Precipitation Outlook: Jan-Mar 2017

Temperature Outlook: Jan-Mar 2017 Photographs Highlighting Late Freeze-Up and Late Snowpack

The graphics above show the most likely of the three possible categories

(significantly above normal, near normal and significantly below normal) for

the three months January through March, according to the North American

Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) seasonal forecasts. They were issued on

December 7, 2016. Unlike previous seasons, there is a distinct lack of above

normal temperatures in the top panel. Only the western coast of Alaska is

painted in the above normal category. Conversely, a large part of British

Columbia is shown in the below normal temperature category. For

precipitation, the northwestern coast of Alaska is in the above normal

category. A few places here and there are depicted in the lightest blue color

– indicating slightly greater chances of above normal precipitation. The vast

majority of the region is forecasted to have near normal precipitation.

(http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/NMME/seasanom.shtml )

Content and graphics prepared in partnership with the Western Region Climate 

Center, NOAA National Weather Service Alaska Region, and Environment and 

Climate Change Canada. 

ALASKA REGION PARTNERS: Western Region Climate Center, Alaska Climate 

Research Center, Alaska Climate Science Center, Cryosphere Today, NOAA / 

NWS Weather Forecast Offices, NOAA / NESDIS / NCEI, Scenarios Network for 

Alaska + Arctic Planning. 

NOAA ALASKA REGION CONTACTS: 

JAMES PARTAIN 

james.partain@noaa.gov

RICK THOMAN richard.thoman@noaa.gov

ncei.noaa.gov • #regionalclimateoutlooks

BRIAN BRETTSCHNEIDER: WRCC 

brbrettschneider@alaska.edu

WESTERN CANADA PARTNER: 

Environment and Climate Change 

Canada (ECCC). 

KEN KWOK ken.kwok@canada.ca

ROSS MACDONALD 

ross.macdonald@canada.ca

MATT MACDONALD 

matt.macdonald@canada.ca 

4

Photo of Potter 

Marsh in 

Anchorage, 

Alaska. Snow 

arrived very late in 

the season. 

Photograph taken 

on November 22, 

2016 showing a 

complete lack of 

snow cover. 

Photo credit: Brian 

Brettschneider.

Photo of an 

unfrozen Yukon 

River at Dawson, 

Yukon on 

November 23, 

2016. 

Photo credit: Will 

Fellers.