Rick Thoman
Climate specialist with ACCAP/IARC at UAF, highlighting Alaska and Arctic climate, environment & Indigenous cultures. Opinions are my own.
Alaska and Arctic Climate Newsletter: alaskaclimate.substack.com
- Low elevation snow melt progressing across Alaska and vicinity. The May 10 IMS analysis from the National Ice Center shows snow-free ground appearing in the Yukon Flats and up the Koyukuk River valley. North Slope and most of NW Arctic Borough snow melt has barely started. #akwx #Spring2025 #Snow
- Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea is decreasing rapidly and right on schedule. The "Swiss cheese" pattern of ice melt, with large areas of open water north of the ice edge is also common, though this year is more extreme than some. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce @zacklabe.com @climatologist49.bsky.social
- High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Very mild across the western Interior/southwest Alaska with 67F at Sleetmute the highest reliable temp in Alaska so far this year. Another cool day in Southeast and North Slope remains notably cooler than normal. #akwx #weather
- Reposted by Rick Thomancennestre, f.n: mother. (KEN-ness-truh / ˈkɛn-nɛs-trə) Image: Manuscript owner (Roger of Waltham) depicted with Virgin Mary and Christ; England (London), c. 1325-1335; @uofglasgow.bsky.social Sp Coll MS Hunter 231 (U.3.4), p. 62. #OldEnglish #WOTD #HappyMothersDay
- NWS Fairbanks reported "green-up" on Chena Ridge near Fairbanks on Saturday. This is six days later than last year but very close to the 50-year median. There is no long term trend in green-up date over that time. #akwx #Spring2025 @akbecca70.bsky.social @alasjules.bsky.social
- It’s an #AlaskaSky kind of day in Fairbanks. A lot of people at Aviation Day. 55F and deep blue skies. #akwx
- Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska Migratory birds have returned to Interior Alaska. tsuugaay "small songbirds" k’elaxdihtsogh "yellow warbler" ché’ delgez "arctic tern" kets’iht’ón’ "swallow" ts’est’ûud "dark-eyed junco" mehk’ą̂ąy "mew gull" ntsiiɬ "northern flicker" tsidaanmbiidh "crossbill"
- Alaska and vicinity April sea surface temperature departures from 1991-2020 average from the NOAA high-resolution OISSTv2.1 dataset. Except for sea ice influenced areas, SSTs were above normal in the Bering Sea as well virtually the entire Gulf of Alaska. #akwx #Arctic #SST
- High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Friday. A mild day across the western and central Interior and southwest and southcentral Alaska, with many places seeing the highest temperatures of the year thus far. Cool and rainy in Southeast. #akwx #weather @climatologist49.bsky.social
- Anchorage airport snowfall for 2024-25 winter very likely total 61.6 inches (156cm), the lowest total since 2017-18. More than 90 percent of the total fell outside of Dec-Feb. The 1991-2020 normal seasonal snowfall is 77.9 inches (198cm). Graphic from the endangered xmACIS. #akwx #climate #Snow
