Inversion Collapses: Cold Snap Ends

Temperatures aloft warmed dramatically over the past 36 hours, and persistent cloud cover and a moderate pressure gradient have taken their toll on the inversion. Here is a plot of the lowest 1000 meters from the morning sounding from today and Monday.


At 2am today (Nov 23) the temperature at the Fairbanks Airport rose to 2 above. This effectively ends the cold snap. The numerical models have not distinguished themselves in glory with the end of this event, and that is directly related to the inability of the models to effectively resolve the processes in the very near surface (boundary layer). That said, the airmass remains chilly and if and when clouds break temperatures will again fall in the valley. However, the unprecedented nature of this cold snap is over. I'll have a wrap-up in the next couple days.