Don’t expect sunny skies too soon.
Precipitation levels have been notably higher in recent weeks, and they are likely to stay that way. We can expect below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation for the next 10 or 12 days, according to National Weather Service forecaster Sharon Sullivan.
“Normally this time of year is supposed to be the drier season,” said Sullivan, “But last month we had precipitation at 260 percent of normal.” The Haines airport measurement site for the National Weather Service measured a total of 3.81 inches of precipitation last month, with 1.26 inches on May 21 that nearly reached the monthly average of 1.45 inches.
Sullivan said persistent precipitation can be blamed on a low-pressure system offshore in the Gulf of Alaska that flows onshore, bringing wet and warm conditions. May was the 21st warmest month on record for Haines, with above-normal average, maximum, and minimum temperatures.
If you’re thinking that it’s actually been chillier, however, you’re not wrong. We’re in a short cold spell that could continue for 10 or 12 days, Sullivan said. The return to normal may be sooner than expected: Tuesday’s foreboding forecast of highs in the low 40s and lows below freezing changed on Wednesday to more temperate high 50s, low 40s, and many scattered showers.
As for the wet trend continuing into summer, “Right now there are equal chances of it being above or below normal precipitation,” Sullivan said. “Hopefully we won’t see the same as last year’s summer without a summer.”