The Kenai Peninsula will likely see colder than average temperatures during the month of December.
Rick Thoman is the Climate Science and Services Manager for the National Weather Service Alaska Region.
“For the Kenai Peninsula, the outlook for December is for an increased chance for significantly below average temperature for the month as a whole,” Thoman said.
The forecast is based on the latest climate predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The predicted temperature average for December 2016 is below average compared to temperatures across a 30-year reference period. That’s unusual, Thoman says.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had an outlook where there’s an increased chance for significantly below normal temperatures anywhere in Alaska, much less the Kenai Peninsula, which has been at the center of some of the most extreme warmth over the last three years,” he said.
Precipitation totals are much more difficult to predict, he says. Because most days have no precipitation, a single snowstorm can have a substantial impact on the monthly total.
Currently, NOAA models predict a somewhat drier December for the Kenai Peninsula, says Thoman.
“The outlook as it is, there’s a somewhat increased chance for below average precipitation for the month of December,” he said.
More information on NOAA's climate predictions can be found here.