Click Here
Tuesday May 21 2013
Juneau: 34°F
Now in Digital HD on Ch. 5.1!
Latest Alaska headlines from KTUU.com » Coast Guard Begins Hearing for Kulluk Marine Casualty Investigation » Military Announces Third Anchorage Sexual Abuse Case This Month » Bail Denied for James Wells in Kodiak Coast Guard Murders » Grown Up: Young Adults Recall Their Life in Foster Care » Kenai Woman Wins Nenana Ice Classic Again » Judge's Decision Called a Win for Yupik Fishermen » Nenana Ice Classic Tripod Has Latest-Ever Fall » No Signs of Missing Snowmachiners in Kotzebue Search » Minor Flooding Reported in Fort Yukon » Pavlof Volcano's Ash Prompts Flight Cancellations » Dimond Center Affected by Brief Power Outage » State Announces Plan to Assess Oil & Gas at Refuge » Do Iliamna Lake Seals Warrant an Endangered Species Listing? » State's Request for Waiver from Education Law Approved » Pavlof Volcano Eruption Ongoing, Ash Up to 22K Feet » Interior Alaska: Flooding Damages Homes in Circle » Man Believed Dead after Stolen Kayak Overturns » Alaska Among Five States to Receive Money For Tsunami Relief » Weather Hampers Search for 2 Snowmachiners near Kotzebue » No Injuries After Small Plane Crash Lands at Goose Bay Airport » DOT to Install Rumble Strips on Richardson and Parks Highway » Sutton ATV Rider Suffers Serious Head Injuries » Kenai Borough to Assess Nikiski Groundwater » Trial Due to Begin in Juneau Baby Death » Man Found Dead on Construction Site in Fairbanks » Alaska Air National Guard Members Receive Silver and Bronze Stars » Outdoor Death Near Mulcahy Stadium Not Suspicious, APD Says » Anchorage Sets New Record for Longest Snow Season » Long Winter Stalls Area Parks Improvements » Hundreds Walk in March of Dimes Charity Event on Snowy Morning » Spenard Farmer's Market Kicks Off 4th Season » Coast Guard Sets Hearing for Kulluk Grounding » Alaska Gold Miners Remain Optimistic Despite Dropping Gold Prices » Copper River Salmon Arrives for Consumers in Anchorage » Late Spring Delays Palmer Farmers, Anchorage Growers Remain Optimistic » Infant's Death Following ATV Crash Under Investigation » Yukon River Breakup Causing Flooding in Eagle » Juneau Empire Names New Publisher » Man Accused in Kodiak Coast Guard Killings Wants Release » Late Season Snow Takes Aim on Southcentral » Snow, Cold Delay Opening of Denali Highway » Coast Guard Finds Safety, Fishing Violations During Boarding » Anchorage Bike to Work Day Takes Place Today » Alaska Unemployment Rate Falls Again » Missing Teen from Eagle River Found Alive and Well » Man on Cheney Lake Ice Taken into Custody » Renovation Work to Start on Alaska Capitol » Pavlof Volcano Continues to Erupt With Lava, Ash » Sled Dog Could Face Death After Attacking Toddler » Bethel Woman Gets 22 Years in Death » Troopers Investigate Man's Death near Tok » Police Arrest 2 Homer High Students in Fake Bomb 'Prank' » Alaska Ferry System Considers Raising Rates » State to Recover $376K in Medicaid Case » Man Missing from Anchorage Airport Found in Talkeetna » Man Crashes Car into Tree, Remains in Critical Condition » Interior Department Releases Draft Rules on 'Fracking' » Renovation Work to Start Soon on Alaska Capitol » Agency to Consider Alaska Lake Seals as Threatened » APD Seeks Suspect in Eagle River Drug-Deal Shooting » Late Spring Sparking Flood Concerns in the Valley » Annual Motorcycle Training Courses are Ready to Roll » Five Alaska Guardsmen First to Summit Denali This Year » Juneau Picks New Police Chief » Firearm Found at Valdez Middle School » UAF Bethel Campus Hosting Suicide Alertness Event Friday » Bethel Officials, Businesses Weigh Impact of Tobacco Tax » Forest Service Dedicating New Lab in Juneau » ATV Crash Leaves Palmer Man in Critical Condition » Wasilla Man Injured in Pickup Truck-Bicycle Collision » Bean's Cafe Announces New Executive Director » Ash Plumes Rise from Pavlof Volcano » Illegal Kills End Unit 23 Musk Ox Hunting Season » One of the Latest Snows Ever? » Burger Index Not Good News for Alaska, Hawaii Cities » Flags to be Lowered Today for Peace Officers » Firefighting Exercises Set for Anchorage Airport » Man Faces DUI Charges in Car-Coffee Stand Crash » NTSB Urges Drunk Driving Legal Limit Lower to .05 Percent » Anchorage Airport Now Offers Non-Stop Service to Iceland » Local Air Carrier To Begin Scheduled Passenger Service In Bush Alaska » Proposed Palmer Dump Stirs Up Toxic Debate » Budget Cuts Threaten Real-Time Tracking Of Active Alaska Volcanoes » APD Officers Identified in Muldoon Shooting » Trapper Creek Man Dies in Head-on Collision » New Group Launches Support Campaign for Oil Tax Reform » Gas Prices in Anchorage Up 10 Cents Per Gallon » Minor Lava Flows Detected on 2 Alaska Volcanoes » Wet Mat-Su Roads Bring Closures, School-Bus Diversions » Parnell Meeting with Banks, Agencies in New York » UAA Hockey Coach Shyiak Accused of Hitting Player » Denali National Park Set to Open for Summer » Future Looks Promising for 2013 High School Graduates » Buccaneer Energy Begins Drilling Cosmo Well » Canada Company Pulls Out of Mining Project near Tok » ASD Says $44M in Scholarships Awarded to 2013 Graduates » Residents, State Officials Worried About Rising Yukon Waters » ADFG Restricts Sport Fishing for Kenai River King Salmon
Home News Weather Contact Southeast Spotlight FAQ
El Nino cause of warm winter.
Published: 03/11/2010 10:15:00
The weather this winter has been pretty mild in comparison to the past few years, and we asked the National Weather Service to shed some light on what causes that difference. Rick Fritsch, one of their Meteorologists in Juneau, provided this explanation.

“First thing is, we have El Nino going on this year and it’s a fairly moderate strength El Nino. And the characteristics of an El Nino, first of all an El Nino is something called a teleconnection. Secondly it exerts its strongest influence on our weather as a climate variability in the wintertime; right now. Thirdly, an El Nino tends to result in a higher frequency of low pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska, which has its net effect bringing up warm moist air from the tropics; Hawaii area. And the end result being that our winters, during an El Nino winter, tend to be warmer than normal. The big difference in this winter that we’re ending right now and the previous three winters is that El Nino, La Nina, the flip side of the evil twin of El Nino. If you have the same amount of annual or seasonal precipitation, El Nino, higher percentage happens to be rain than snow, La Nina, you get a higher percentage of snow rather than rain.”

Our next question was whether or not this might also affect the upcoming summer.
To which, Mr Fritsch replied “When we’ve had an El Nino winter comparable to what we’re going through right now, you pick out those years and you look at the climate records for the following summer, and it would appear, if the past is any indication of what our summer coming up holds in store, that we should have a nicer than normal summer, maybe not drop dead gorgeous like I guess the summer of “05 was a really beautiful one around here, but perhaps as nice as last summer and I have no complaints about that.”

http://pajk.arh.noaa.gov/index.php

By: Rik Pruett - rik@kath.tv

It's not just TV when it features you and your community

©2013 - North Star Television Network