Big Delta January 2013
In Delta Junction the mean temperature for January (4.5°F) was 5.5°F above the long-term normal of -1.0°F. The highest temperature (47°F) was observed on the 14th, setting a new record high for this day, smashing the previous value of 40°F set in 2002. This far above normal temperature was observed during a Chinook event, when strong southerly flow of moist air cools moist-adiabaticly on the south side of the Alaska Range, but warms at the higher rate on the dry-adiabaticly north side, transporting warm air to the Interior of Alaska. It was the second highest temperature for the month of the nine stations discussed here, with many of the stations situated more southerly than Delta. The lowest temperature of -48°F was observed on the 28th, a 95°F change in two weeks. Temperatures stayed at or above normal with the exception of the cold spell around the 28th.
Precipitation was above average with a reported total of 0.45", 45% over the expected amount (0.31").