November in the Upper Valley has been much colder than average so far

It has been a cold November in the Northern Susitna Valley and across much of the state.  As of Tuesday, daily low temperatures at Talkeetna State Airport have been sub-zero for eleven days. 

Monday was the coldest day of the month so far, a low of eighteen degrees below zero.  Monday was on average about thirty degrees colder than normal for this time of year, but well short of the record low of minus twenty-nine set in 1961.

The first few days of November actually saw temperatures significantly above normal, with highs in the low 40s.  That changed relatively quickly, however, and the average temperature has been at least ten degrees colder than usual every day since November 9^th.

In an interview with Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove earlier this week, State Climatologist Brian Brettschneider says cold snaps like this one often stick around for awhile, and it would not be unusual for another ten days of below-average temperatures.