Utqiaġvik, Alaska, America's northernmost town formerly known as Barrow, recently ended a prolonged freezing streak that most of us couldn't even imagine.
From Oct. 17 through June 11, Utqiaġvik recorded a low temperature at or below freezing (32 degrees). That's 239 consecutive days with a freeze, or about 34 straight weeks. The mercury only dipped to 34 degrees on June 12 and 13, followed by a low of 35 degrees on June 14.
While that might sound like a long streak, it's nowhere near a record for a town 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In fact, about 75% of years have recorded a longer streak than the one that just ended, according to Dr. Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, looks to end their streak of 239 consecutive days with a freeze today. If this sounds like a long streak, about 3/4 of years have a longer streak. @AlaskaWx
In records dating back to 1921, 266 days is the median streak of days with low temperatures at or below freezing, Brettschneider said.
The longest streak was 323 days, which began Aug. 9, 1955, and continued through June 26, 1956.
Even though Utqiaġvik is currently in the midst of its 83-day period with 24 hours of daylight, the average high on June 15 is 41 degrees and the average low is 31, so it's not unusual to dip below freezing as we approach this weekend's summer solstice on June 20.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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