The April 18 end of the winter snowpack is 5 days earlier than the long-term median date and just barely falls within the earliest tercile of melt-out dates; so it is earlier than usual but not very much so. The earliest melt-out in Fairbanks was on April 3, 1970, although in that year snow returned the very next day; there was a more abiding melt-out on April 6, 1965.
Is this the last of any snow cover in Fairbanks until autumn? Not necessarily. Almost half of all years see some accumulating snow after the first melt-out date, although only 20% of years see an inch or more of snow depth reported. More than 1 inch of reported snow depth is rare after melt-out, so any snow that accumulates from here is very likely to be light and/or short-lived.
It's interesting to observe that the chinook warmth has also done a number on river ice in the area, and the tripod at Nenana is on its last legs (see below). If the clock is tripped today, it will tie the all-time record for earliest breakup date (1940, 1998). It's a remarkable turn-around from the cold spring and record late breakup of 2013.
