Inversions: Not Just for the Interior

At 10am Monday, the Imnaviat Creek SNOTEL, near Mile 286 Dalton Highway reports a temperature of 0F. I've been known to refer to Innaviat as "the Healy of the North". The Sag River platform, near Mile 320 Dalton Highway, which amazingly enough is still sending data, reports a temperature of -40F. Other temperatures range from 42 below at Nuiqsut and 38 below at Umiat to 2 above at the Killik Pass RAWS, west of Anaktuvuk Pass and 4 below on top of Atigun Pass at Mile 245 Dalton Highway.

Courtesy of NWS Alaska Region

To the left is the NOAA-18 Polar Orbiter infrared image from 615am. The cold (white) surface temperatures on the North Slope, but notice the darker (warmer) Brooks Range. Also pretty clear over the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, with good views of the sea ice. More subtly,  surface temperatures are somewhat milder north of 71N north, near Barrow, and sure enough, Barrow's a pleasant 16 below with light east winds Monday morning.