The past four weeks have been quite chilly across the region, almost half of the days at Nome have been more than 10 degrees below normal. This is nowhere close to record cold for this time of year, but following the mild winter, it is quite noticeable.
A run of chilly weather at this time of year isn't new, but it is curious that three of the four coldest mid-Marches to mid-April periods since 1990 have occurred during the past four years- 2021, 2023, and this year.
There have been similar clusters of unusually cold early springs in Nome's long climate record, including several years around 1910, in the mid 1940s, the 1970s, and again in the mid 1980s.
What we're seeing now is most likely just random chance that happens in our complex climate system, rather than any kind of indicator of larger or systematic change. Though, of course, that can't be completely ruled out.
