Much of Southcentral Alaska has experienced a colder than average spring, with the month of May featuring record cold temperatures in several areas of the state, including Kodiak.
According to climatologist Rick Thoman, with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness, the highest temperature Kodiak saw last month was 54 degrees on May 29. He said via email that it was the coolest high temperature in May since 1966, when the highest temperature was 52.
On the morning of Memorial Day, May 25, Kodiak set a daily record low temperature of 31 degrees according to the National Weather Service. That broke the previous record for May 25 which was set 26 years ago at 32 degrees in 2000.
Three days prior, during CrabFest on May 22, Kodiak residents observed periods of hail at least the size of peas. Thoman said that in general small hail is not especially uncommon during short bursts of precipitation in May since freezing levels are still “fairly low.”
Going forward, climate scientists and researchers are expecting an El Niño this summer in Alaska which is likely to bring warmer than average ocean temperatures.
Globally, the Earth had its warmest year on record the last time an El Niño occurred, from 2023 into 2024, according to the Alaska Climate Research Center. But regional temperatures across the state can still vary by several degrees depending on how weather patterns from El Niño develop this summer.
