Last week’s formidable rainstorm helped push total precipitation in Haines to a new January record, according to the National Weather Service.
Just how much wet stuff has fallen varies between the town’s two weather stations, but both of them recorded new highs for monthly totals.
According to the automated weather station at the Haines airport, 11.21 inches of precipitation fell through Tuesday, topping a record 10.87 inches of precipitation that fell in January 1983.
Resident Paul Swift’s co-op weather station at Fifth Avenue and Union Street measured 14.97 inches, topping the previous high of 12.47 inches in 2012. Records from Swift’s station go back to 1998.
As of Tuesday, the airport station recorded no snowfall for the month; Swift’s station recorded about three inches. Normal precipitation for January is 6.58 inches, according to the airport station, and 7.66 at Swift’s station downtown.
The airport station recorded daily precipitation records were set Jan. 15 (1.26 inches), Jan. 20 (1.94 inches) and Jan. 21 (1.92 inches).
January’s average temperature – 32 degrees F. at the airport – also was considerably higher than the historic norm of 23.2 F. Record high temperatures were recorded on four days at the airport this month.
Juneau also set a precipitation record for January, reaching 11.29 inches at the airport this week, topping a record of 10.16 in 2014.
A heavy snow was falling at press time Wednesday.