Extremely Wet June

Fairbanks summers are trending toward more precipitation. June 2020 set two rainfall records for the Fairbanks area.

Observation by Laramie Maxwell:

June of 2020 was much wetter than average or normal. Perhaps this will become more of a trend. Some years may be extremely hot and dry while others will be extremely wet. This may be an effect of climate change affecting weather patterns and making them more erratic.

Rick Thoman, climate scientist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, writes:

2020 was the fifth wettest June on record in the past century in the Fairbanks area. Remarkably, three of the five wettest Junes have occurred since 2014. This part of the overall trend for wetter summers, as seen in this graphic showing the UAF Ag Experimental Station summer rainfall, where there has been a 44% increase in summer rainfall since the early 1900s.

Comments from LEO Editors:

According to a Webcenter Fairbanks News Article, Fairbanks residents experienced two record rainfalls, one of 1.13 inches on June 21, beating the 1962 record of .58 inches, and another of 1.88 inches between June 19-21. Similar prolonged rain events came in August, prompting flood advisories for the Tanana River, the Salcha River, Goldpaster River, and the Fortymile River.