Anchorage basks in balmy weather

ANCHORAGE - In a month that often sees skiing, Southcentral golfers are still on the links.

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According to the National Weather Service, October ended Thursday as the warmest snow-free October on record. Pussywillows and pansies are blooming, moose are browsing on green grass and blueberries are growing on the slopes up Arctic Valley.

Meteorologists said October in Anchorage was one of the warmest since 1916, with an average daily temperature of 41.2 degrees, an average high of 46.5 and an average low of 35.8. Rainfall exceeded 4 inches, more than 2 inches above normal. This October was only Anchorage's eighth since 1938 with no snow, according to the National Weather Service.