Annual climate summary 2015: Central Alaska Network

Sousanes, Pamela; Hill, Ken

The Central Alaska Network’s climate monitoring program has established seventeen remote weather stations to monitor climate in Denali National Park and Preserve, Wrangell -St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The main goal of the program is to operate these remote sites for the long-term in order to help scientists and park managers understand the climate patterns across these large parks. There are five other weather and climate stations around the parks operated by various state and federal agencies that are used as index sites to compare current climate conditions in the region to the climatological normal - the average weather conditions over a 30-year period. The current normal period is 1981-2010. This report summarizes the annual and monthly temperature and precipitation deviations for the index sites and compiles monthly and annual statistics for the sites with shorter records, including five additional fire weather stations located within park boundaries. A brief synopsis of regional, national, and global climate conditions for 2015 is included for climatic context. 2015 was another warm year for Alaska. The mean annual temperatures at the CAKN index sites were, on average +2.2° F warmer than the 1981-2010 normal. Statewide it was the second warmest year on record (tied with 2002). Annual precipitation totals across the CAKN region varied from 95% of normal in Yakutat to 151% of normal in Denali. Between May and September of 2015, the Central Alaska Network staff performed annual site maintenance at the thirteen CAKN climate stations, four snow telemetry sites, and assisted with maintenance of three the fire weather stations.

Annual climate summary 2015: Central Alaska Network

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