A pair of 70-degree days escorted out the fourth-warmest August in Juneau history since modern recordkeeping began in 1936.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures at Juneau International Airport — the city’s official measuring point — averaged 58.6 degrees, 2.6 degrees above normal for the month.
That average makes August the 11th consecutive month with above-normal temperatures in Juneau and keeps the capital city on pace for its warmest year in modern history. The previous record-holder is last year.
The thermometer reached 76 degrees on Aug. 27, breaking the record of 75 degrees set in 1941. Temperatures reached 73 degrees on Aug. 28, tying a record set in 1989.
Temperatures have averaged above normal every month in Juneau since September 2015, when they were 0.8 degrees below average. That’s the only month below normal in the past two and a half years — March 2014 averaged 2.3 degrees below normal, according to the Alaska Climate Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
While Juneau fell short of its outright warmest August ever, two other Southeast locations set records last month.
Annette Island, home to Ketchikan’s airport, saw a record monthly average of 63.6 degrees, beating the mark of 62.9 degrees set in 1977. Yakutat also saw its warmest August ever, averaging 57.7 degrees — the old record was 57.0 degrees in 2004.
The above-normal temperatures were accompanied by rainfall only slightly above normal for the month. The airport measuring station recorded 5.97 inches of rainfall, less than a quarter-inch above the 5.73 inches that is normal for August.
Since the start of the year, Juneau has seen 36.52 inches of precipitation, a term that includes rain and melted snow. The norm for this point in the year is 33.42 inches.
After a sunny and warm Labor Day weekend, the Weather Service is calling for a return to typical Juneau autumn weather with rain, clouds and lower temperatures.
