A Haines sunset in early May. (Emily Files)
Last month’s weather broke records in both Skagway and Haines. It was the warmest May in about 70 years. And it was the third driest May on record in both towns, according to the National Weather Service in Juneau.
In Skagway, the average temperature was 55.1 degrees, which is about six degrees above normal. That temperature broke a record from 1942.
In Haines, the average temperature was 55 degrees, also about six degrees above normal. The previous record is from 2005.
An average temperature is derived from the day’s high and low temperatures. For example, if the day’s high was 65 degrees and the low was 45 degrees, the average temperature would be 55.
Haines and Skagway had multiple high temperature records broken on a few days when it rose into the 70s and 80s.
The all-time hottest month on record in Skagway was July of 1899. For Haines, it was July of 1951.
A high pressure blocking system caused record hot and dry weather across Southeast Alaska. Twenty-two temperature records and 25 precipitation records were broken from Yakutat to Metlakatla.
For Haines and Skagway, it was the third driest May. Skagway saw just a quarter inch of rain. Haines saw only .22 inches.
Weather Service Meteorologist Richard Lam says it’ll be a warmer than normal summer in Southeast Alaska. The month of June is forecasted to have above normal precipitation, but July and August are forecasted to have below normal precipitation.
In the short term, the rain is back. Lam says this wet weather will continue at least until Saturday.
