Last month was the second wettest April on record for Petersburg.
“So if it seemed like April was a little bit more wet than usual, you aren’t wrong. It was a lot more wet than usual,” said Greg Spawn, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) in Juneau. “Our April that we had in Petersburg was actually the second wettest April on record.”
Nearly double the amount of water fell from the sky than what’s typical — that’s 11.29 inches, compared to the normal 6.66 inches — and April 13 set a new record of 1.69 inches for that particular day in Petersburg.
According to the NWS, the weather was wetter all across Southeast Alaska.
“We had a really active pattern going on … just doing system after system into the Panhandle,” Spawn said, noting the consistent wind and rain the region received throughout the month.
He said it’s remarkable because April is normally part of Southeast’s dry season.
Haines had 7.1 inches and Juneau got 6.12 inches of rainfall compared to their normal 3 inches. Yakutat got 18.43 inches of rain compared to the normal 8 inches. And Ketchikan recorded 12.44 inches, up from the normal 10 inches of rain the area typically gets in April.
“[April] was just a remarkable reversal from the past couple months before then,” said Spawn. “It was dry as a bone for a long time by Southeast Alaskan standards … the winter was pretty disappointing if you were a snow lover.”
Because far less precipitation fell this winter, snowpack levels are low in Southeast. That means the region is still considered in a drought, despite the recent heavy rains.
Spawn explained that the region relies on water that gradually melts from snowpack throughout the summer season to help keep rivers and streams flowing enough for things like salmon runs and hydro power.
“That’s all critically dependent on snowpack,” he said. “That rain that fell is great, but it drains away after a couple of days. And when you need … thick snowpack that lasts for months on end, that’s not necessarily helping the situation quite as much as it could have.”
Had the weather systems come during the winter, Spawn said it could’ve been a “much different story.” But by the time the precipitation fell, he said, it was too warm to add to snowpack levels.
Looking ahead at May, the weather looks slightly cooler than normal until temperatures warm up heading into summer. And for people who plan to visit Petersburg for the Little Norway Festival next week, Spawn said packing a rain jacket “doesn’t hurt.”
