UAF GINA

10/01/2026

❄️ Winter is well and truly on the way and Fairbanks woke up to fresh snow this morning! Satellites use a snowfall rate (AK-SFR) product to measure snowfall across the state, with snow falling from the eastern coast to the interior starting early this morning. AK-SFR shows heavier snowfall in yellow and orange, and lighter snow in blue. Fairbanks is predicted to get ~1-3” of snow today with some chillier weather predicted to roll in this weekend, we might even see some sub 20F temps Saturday morning 🧊🌡 🌨

To learn more about AK-SFR check out this quick guide →https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/QuickGuide_SFR_202503.pdf

09/29/2026

While some Alaskans prepare for the onset of snow, our friends on the panhandle are weathering some heavy fall rain! Satellites have been tracking the progression of rain from last weekend into this week using Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (QPE). This product uses microwave data to approximate the amount of liquid precipitation received over 6hrs, highlighting the heaviest rain in orange, with additional surface based measurements from METAR, written in black. According to the US National Weather Service Juneau Alaska, the panhandle experienced ~2” of rain in a 24 hour period on Sunday (9/27) and the system is expected to continue moving east through Wednesday.

09/25/2026

📢 Join the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness (ACCAP) and the Alaska Fire Science Consortium (AFSC) Tues, Sept 29 @ 11 AKDT for a regional review of the 2026 wildfire season. Rick Thoman of ACCAP will provide broader weather and climate context, while meteorologists from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) Predictive Services and Canadian wildfire experts review how the season unfolded. Join to discuss notable fires, operational challenges, lessons learned, and what this year’s contrasting fire seasons may reveal about wildfire in Northern North America.

Click here to register & learn more →

Speakers: Rick Thoman (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness), Heidi Strader and Jonathan Chriest (Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Predictive Services), Mike Smith (Canadian …

09/24/2026

The nights are getting longer in AK, with ~12 hours of darkness each night here in Fairbanks. Lucky for us satellites can see in the dark! Check out this DayNight Band RGB image taken early this morning that captures the aurora and a storm system over the Bering Sea. The DayNight Band’s sensitivity to light means we can track the progression of high storm clouds, like the ones over the Bering (in blue), and aurora (in bright yellow) at all times of night, while picking up on surface features like city lights.

Learn more about what the VIIRS DayNight Band can do here -->https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nighttime-Visible.pdf

09/22/2026

Is it really that time of year already?❄️Satellite imagery can help track the onset of winter using products that distinguish snow & ice from clouds. This image from this morning uses the Snow Cloud Discriminator to highlight fresh snow in the Brooks Range (lower right), the edge of arctic sea ice (upper left) and a south-moving cold front which is predicted to deliver snow to the North Slope tomorrow. High and mid level clouds are depicted in magenta and orange, while snow and ice appear in white or light pink.

To learn more about VIIRS Snow Cloud Discriminator check out this quick guide -->https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIIRS_Cloud_Snow_Discriminator_QuickGuide_02052024.pdf

09/18/2026

It's been a cloudy start to September here in Alaska, but earlier this week we were gifted with clear skies over Alaska’s north-western panhandle! Satellites captured this True Color RGB image with a rare unobstructed view of the Malaspina Glacier and surrounding coastline.

09/10/2026

September has been a rainy one so far in Alaska and shows no signs of stopping this weekend! Check out this image captured by satellites this morning, showing a cold front moving east across the Bering Sea. This image combines MIRS Rain Rate and 11.5 micrometer long-wave IR to show the intensity of rainfall and cloud distribution. Heavy rain areas on the western coast, pictured as pink, blue, green and yellow, are associated with the cold front, while interior rains are due to warm air moving ahead of the front. Strong winds and minor flooding are predicted on Alaska’s western coast lasting through Friday.

Check out our friends at the US National Weather Service Fairbanks Alaska to learn more about this storm and tune in to other regional weather updates as we transition further into fall!

09/08/2026

📢‼️Tune in TOMORROW from 11-12am AKDT and learn all about weather forecasting on North America's tallest mountain! We hope to see you there!

Speakers: Evan Kutta, NWS Science and Operations Officer, and Jason Laney, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Abstract: Imagine forecasting weather for a place where a single mistake can mean t…

09/04/2026

Interior Alaskan’s have become increasingly familiar with winter rain, some may even recall the locally coined “Icemageddon” of 2021. If you are curious about the impacts of such winter rain events, tune in Sept 10 @ 11am AKDT to hear from ACCAP Policy Fellow, Eleanor Greenbaum! This webinar will cover everything from how infrastructure maintenance is impacted to hazard mitigation planning and explore options for direct response and long-term planning for future rain events.

Learn more and register here →

Speaker: Eleanor Greenbaum, ACCAP Policy Fellow As winter rain becomes more frequent in Alaska’s Interior, communities must understand the risks associated with these events and remain prepared. Th…

09/04/2026

📢 New line work alert! GINA has been working hard to update the line work and labeling for our daily product animations to make them more clear for all of you! Check out this DayLandCloud RGB clip, captured this week showing the changing conditions over Kotzebue Sound

Find daily animations from across the state and snazzy new line work here → https://proto.gina.alaska.edu/distro/clips/