Alaska Climate Research Center

The Alaska State Climate Center
The Alaska State Climate Center
The Alaska State Climate Center
Home > Monthly Reports > 2014 November Monthly Report

2014 November Monthly Report


Highlights

November started off with travel advisories issued for the North Slope portion of the Dalton highway for high winds and blowing snow on the 5th, hindering travel in that area. Also on the 5th, warnings started coming out for the 9th, when the remnant of typhoon Nuri was expected to move into the Bering Sea and impact the western and central Aleutian Islands. The storm stretched over 2000 miles across as it moved into the Bering Sea, and the lowest pressure measured was 929.8 millibars. ShemyaIsland recorded sustained winds of 70 mph and guests up to 96 mph. The storm weakened as it moved east across the Bering Sea. No significant damage was reported along the storms path.

Also on the 9th, Fish and Game warned Southcentral residents not to put birdseed out yet, as the warm temperatures had kept some bears awake late into the year. Warm temperatures in the Interior on the 10th created icy roads across the region. Light freezing rain was forecast for areas of the Interior on the 18th. By Thanksgiving, there was no snow on the ground in Anchorage; the four inches that had fallen had melted. The city normally has about 17 inches of snow by that time of the year. A blizzard hit the Dalton Highway on the 20th, and travel advisories were issued for strong winds and drifting snow.

Fairbanks's first measureable snow of the month came on the 25th. The Moose Mountain ski area in Fairbanks opened on the 28th. Alyeska Resort near Anchorage delayed its usual Thanksgiving weekend opening due to the warm weather preventing the production of artificial snow. Storm warnings and watches were issued across large sections of the state on the 29th and 30th. The unusually warm November slowed the freeze up of the Kuskokwim River, preventing its use as a transportation corridor by Thanksgiving.