We went from relatively cold days and nights in late March, to warm days and warm nights in April. This means no overnight freezing of snow, and no crust conditions for skiers...yet.
Observation by Mike Brubaker:
We have had a terrific winter for snow lovers with decent snow pack in Southcentral and better than average for areas further north. This on top of cold temperatures since January. I have been waiting anxiously for the cold nights and warm days of spring to arrive for what promised to be epic spring skiing conditions, and in particular good crust snow conditions. Crust snow occurs when you have had a week or more of warm days and cold nights, which creates a smooth, hard, crust snow surface. Skiers will typically take their shorter, lighter skate skis and be able to range far and wide across smooth frozen surfaces. This is usually done in the morning as warming will thaw the crust and by early afternoon the period for crust skiing is generally over for the day. Popular locations include Glenn Alps and all the way up the Powerline Pass, Hatcher Pass, Turnagain Pass, and in colder years, even along the inlet. But the cold nights have not yet materialized even at higher elevations like Hatcher Pass. What has happened over the past few weeks in April is warm days in the upper 30s and 40s and then night time temperatures that never dropped below freezing. We have also had some rain to higher elevations which is quickly melting the snow. For those who are still skiing, the snow is punchy, and like mashed potatoes. It is okay for the backcountry touring, but tough climbing and watch out for the steep hills because of the sloughing avalanches which is stripping snow off the slope right down to the bare rock. I am wondering if our crust season is going to be a non-starter this year. Also wondering how our break up dates this year compare with normal.
Follow Up - our prayers were answered with clear skies and return of cold nights starting on the 24th and 25th. See photos from skiing in Turnagain Pass. Reports are coming in from across the region of excellent crust snow conditions, hopefully lasting through the weekend. 4-28-20
Comments from LEO Editors:
Rick Thoman, climate scientist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), presented an Alaska Winter 2019-2020 Climate Review and Spring 2020 Outlook on April 21st, 2020. In his review, he describes unusually warm winter temperatures from October to December, which turned colder than normal over mainland Alaska from mid-December to March. Precipitation levels were higher than normal for most of the state between October and December. However, precipitation was below normal for the Gulf of Alaska coast, including the Anchorage area, between January and March. Warmer than normal temperatures are projected to return in early to mid-May.
Rick's presentation was followed by an April Break-up Briefing by Crane Johnson with the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center. He provided a figure with average break-up dates around the state, noting that Southcentral Alaska was about 3 days earlier than average.
Rick Thoman, commenting on the warm nights, writes:
April 2020 has been unusually cloudy and wet over much of Alaska, including the Anchorage area. Clouds are effective at keeping nights milder than they otherwise would be by not allowing heat from the ground to be lost to space at night. This is reflected in the Anchorage temperatures: for the first three weeks of the month, the average high temperature was about 2ºF below normal, but the average low was about 2ºF above normal.
Observations From Members