At Cold Bay, snow was reported on five days during the month, the most for any May since 2013.
Observation by Angela Johnson:
This spring for Nelson Lagoon, AK has been abnormally cold. Not only just cold, but the way the weather patterns have been is unusual. We have been experiencing snow showers in May which is extremely weird. Our spring birds, such as swallows, were a little late and the seagulls have yet to lay eggs. We harvest seagull eggs for subsistence purposes and we’re patiently waiting for them to lay. A lot of the community members believe it’s because it’s too cold. We are not sure what is causing the strange weather besides climate change, of course. This can negatively affect us in many ways such as a late salmon run and a poor berry season. Hopefully it will warm up soon.
Richard Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, writes:
While temperatures overall in May averaged close to normal on the Alaska Peninsula, snow showers were more frequent than in recent years. At Cold Bay, snow was reported on five days during the month, the most for any May since 2013. 10/5/2018
Comments from LEO Editors:
See temperature anomaly map below. The cumulative precipitation chart shows above normal precipitation in May, a trend which has continued throughout the year. Erica Lujan
