Anyone know if this is unusual this far north in Greenland in January?

Anyone know if this is unusual this far north in Greenland in January?

In Greenland terms, Nuuk isn't really too far North. It's in South West Greenland. Average January temperatures at Nuuk would be around -8C, so rain would be unusual. However, given Nuuk's South-Westerly and coastal location, I doubt that it's exactly unheard of either. That said, I suspect that rain in January at Nuuk, while still unusual, is more common now than 30 or 40 years ago.

 

In Greenland terms, Nuuk isn't really too far North. It's in South West Greenland. Average January temperatures at Nuuk would be around -8C, so rain would be unusual. However, given Nuuk's South-Westerly and coastal location, I doubt that it's exactly unheard of either. That said, I suspect that rain in January at Nuuk, while still unusual, is more common now than 30 or 40 years ago.

Thanks Lionel. Whist I'm aware I was a out on a limb with the  "this far north" Comment, and I do understand it is not within the Arctic Circle, I admit to being surprised at seeing rain at this time of year, especially as the Labrador current runs straight down that coastline, there is very little sea room between it and the frozen wastes of Canada and the Hudson Bay. I know its not too far to the meeting of the North Atlantic Drift and the Labrador current, so perhaps I was more surprised that I should have been. My specialism when I was forecasting was convective weather, so I'm very rusty on cryo weather!! Thanks for the reply!

Anyone know if this is unusual this far north in Greenland in January?

Well given the fact it's snowing at -1c in parts of Greece and 0c in Istanbul with snow then yes I would say it is very rare despite it having an Atlantic influence to see temperatures of up to +4c in Greenland with rain when parts of southern and eastern Europe like Greece and Turkey (Istanbul for instance are at 41.0082° N) yet are experiencing below freezing temperatures with snow erratic.

I don't know if rain has ever fallen in January especially in NUUK/Godthab where it is 64.1814° N. I doubt the Inuit's are use to seeing rain in mid winter (January)!? 

Anyway, it's all a temporary thing and it will turn back to snow tomorrow and turn colder but not colder than average but for Greenland to see rain in January must be rare for sure.

Coastal Greenland will have similar climate to Coastal Iceland - frequently dominated by North Atlantic systems on their way to hit us - so winter days above freezing are no rarity.

Coastal Greenland will have similar climate to Coastal Iceland - frequently dominated by North Atlantic systems on their way to hit us - so winter days above freezing are no rarity.

Not exactly. There's a fair difference between Iceland and Greenland in climate terms. Let's compare Reykjavik

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/iceland/reykjavik/climate

with Qaqortoq which is just about the most Southerly settlement on Greenland.

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/greenland/qaqortoq/climate

Approximately a 5C difference, similar to the difference between Dublin and Reykjavik.

Nuuk is colder than Qaqortoq by some distance so rain at that location in January is quite unusual. Nuuk's climate is not at all comparable to that of coastal Iceland.

https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/nuuk_greenland_3421319

Anyone know if this is unusual this far north in Greenland in January?

I suppose the Inuit's would call this warm rain?

 

I suppose the Inuit's would call this warm rain?

I wonder if there's an Inuit version of Richardabdn on a Greenlandic weather website telling everyone how awful the weather in Nuuk is at present?

 

Well given the fact it's snowing at -1c in parts of Greece and 0c in Istanbul with snow then yes I would say it is very rare despite it having an Atlantic influence to see temperatures of up to +4c in Greenland with rain when parts of southern and eastern Europe like Greece and Turkey (Istanbul for instance are at 41.0082° N) yet are experiencing below freezing temperatures with snow erratic.

I don't know if rain has ever fallen in January especially in NUUK/Godthab where it is 64.1814° N. I doubt the Inuit's are use to seeing rain in mid winter (January)!? 

Anyway, it's all a temporary thing and it will turn back to snow tomorrow and turn colder but not colder than average but for Greenland to see rain in January must be rare for sure.

This is a great site for getting an idea of global weather patterns.

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=62.7;-50.4;3&l=temperature-2m

A very mild (for them) S/SE wind.

Hardly surprising given the current synoptics being in the form of a long-fetched gale-force dirty southerly airflow.

Usually that is what us here at the UK get to have at this time of the year.

Hardly surprising given the current synoptics being in the form of a long-fetched gale-force dirty southerly airflow.

Usually that is what us here at the UK get to have at this time of the year.

 Mild conditions in Greenland are often the counterpart of a cold spell in our neck of the woods with a HP based in the North Atlantic bringing us Northerlies with Southerlies coming up the other side so to speak to bring warm temperatures to Greenland. Unfortunately, only one side of the equation seem to be working out at present. I suppose we can clutch at the straw that this WAA might pump up a Greenland High.

Hardly surprising given the current synoptics being in the form of a long-fetched gale-force dirty southerly airflow.

Usually that is what us here at the UK get to have at this time of the year.

Was watching the Nuuk airport cameras in December and there was a 2 day rainy spell then as well.

 

Thanks Lionel. Whist I'm aware I was a out on a limb with the  "this far north" Comment, and I do understand it is not within the Arctic Circle, I admit to being surprised at seeing rain at this time of year, especially as the Labrador current runs straight down that coastline, there is very little sea room between it and the frozen wastes of Canada and the Hudson Bay. I know its not too far to the meeting of the North Atlantic Drift and the Labrador current, so perhaps I was more surprised that I should have been. My specialism when I was forecasting was convective weather, so I'm very rusty on cryo weather!! Thanks for the reply!

According to the statistics for Nuuk, in January there are on average 13.6 days with snow in the month and 13.8 days with precipitation. That means that on average it rains there on one day every 5 years.

So, pretty rare; and not at all as common as Four erroneously suggested.

 

Well given the fact it's snowing at -1c in parts of Greece and 0c in Istanbul with snow then yes I would say it is very rare despite it having an Atlantic influence to see temperatures of up to +4c in Greenland with rain when parts of southern and eastern Europe like Greece and Turkey (Istanbul for instance are at 41.0082° N) yet are experiencing below freezing temperatures with snow erratic.

I don't know if rain has ever fallen in January especially in NUUK/Godthab where it is 64.1814° N. I doubt the Inuit's are use to seeing rain in mid winter (January)!? 

Anyway, it's all a temporary thing and it will turn back to snow tomorrow and turn colder but not colder than average but for Greenland to see rain in January must be rare for sure.

I don't think snow is that rare in Turkey away from the Mediterranean coast, and I've noticed that on some recent days Ankara in the centre of the country has been colder than Anchorage. (They're easy to compare, being adjacent entries in the "World Weather" table in my daily paper.) Istanbul may be at 41° N, but that doesn't tell us all that much; after all, New York City is at 40° N.

Normal service has resumed in that part of the world.  

Normal service has resumed in that part of the world.  

Certainly looks like it!!