Candlemas Day

Halfway between the solstice and the equinox, Candlemas Day (Imbolc, in Old Irish) celebrates the return of daylight to northern latitudes. We will reach eight hours of light in a day or so and welcome the rays. Candlemas Day is also the precursor to Groundhog Day. Traditionally, depending on the environs, folks watched for critters like serpents or badgers to emerge from their dens. According to the limerick below, most of Alaska and the L48 will be rewarded with an early Spring - no shadows to be seen today.

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,

So far will the snow swirl until May.

For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,

So far will the sun shine before May.

Smartly cloudy

As the light slowly returns to 60 degrees north (we've more than 7 hrs./day now) and the weather patterns shift a bit, the clouds that fill the Anchorage Bowl begin to put on a show. Perhaps the convergence of weather that crosses over the Chugach Mountains to the east with the warmer air sitting above Cook Inlet to the southwest is a factor in the area's picturesque cloud formation. Although never quite as spectacular as some of the clouds found in other parts of the world, the Alaska clouds are remarkable in their own way. During most weekdays I can watch the sun rise from my office window as it pitches light against the clouds. (the first photo is from my desk chair; photos two and three are from Meg and Nicole's visit to Denali this summer).

Ice cold

We experienced the coldest weather of the season over the weekend as temps dropped to -25 at night and warmed to -10 during the day in areas of the Anchorage Bowl. Fearing the snow on the ski trails would be slow and sticky I decided to try a pair of nordic skates as an alternative to skiing this weekend. Nordic skates are simply straight blades attached to a boot using ski bindings, making it easy to switch from skis to skates. I skied from the house down to the Lagoon, stepped off the skis and onto the nordic skates. After a few laps on the freshly hot-mopped big loop I soon got the hang of it and could feel the similarities between skiing and skating. The nordic skates are less forgiving than nordic skis and provided instant feedback (skidding) when I didn't transfer my weight smoothly from a glide to a kick. Though not as fast as a traditional speed skate, I really enjoyed the way the nordic skates felt like freestyle nordic skiing. And like barefoot running, the nordic skates provide self coaching - it only feels right when using the correct form.

New Year Chinook

Valley of the Moon Park

Downtown Anchorage under a southeasterly flow

A New Year Chinook blew in over the weekend bringing 40+ degree temps and unsettled air aloft. Although it's nice to head outside and leave the gloves and heavy coat at home, I hope the warm southern air blows through soon. The longer the warm weather sticks around, the worse the skiing becomes. Last winter we were the envy of our friends in Kodiak who got hit every few weeks with strong Chinooks that bypassed the Anchorage Bowl. We enjoyed monthlong stretches of crisp winter days and soft white snow, while Kodiak experienced a very cloudy and rainy winter.

Winter Air Travel

Touching down in Old Harbor, AK

It's getting to be that time of year again, the Holidays arrive and so does the inclement weather. Although I was able to get in and out of Kodiak on schedule, Meghan and I have Thanksgiving and Christmas travel plans that take us through several different airports - Seattle, Denver and Chicago - where delays and cancellations are frequent. Back in Kodiak, I used to pack a sleeping bag, extra clothes and food in case of weather delays when traveling to the Island's remote villages. Part of me is glad that my commute to work is a bit more predictable (though coming across ornery moose is often a possibility here in Anchorage). On the other hand, the adventure of flying over remote Alaskan wilderness and landing in a landscape with different features and customs was quite exhilarating. I was always thankful when our pilot brought us safely to our destination, no matter how marginal the conditions. To me, the bush pilots in Alaska are heroes on par with firefighters and other rescue personnel who remain calm and professional in the face of sheer despair. Disagree? Read this account of a pilot flying out of Bethel who's engine quit mid-flight featured in Friday's Anchorage Daily News.

Weather Season

It looks like Weather Season is ready to rip

Ah yes, now I remember what the rest of the Alaskan year feels like. For a while there I was getting fairly comfortable in the Last Frontier, what with the 12 hours of sunshine each day. Well leave it to the Alaska Regional Headquarters of the National Weather Service to provide a backhand slap of reality. October marks the beginning of what I like to call weather season, which lasts from about October through April. You can tell it's weather season because the Alaska weather map on the NWS webpage begins to light up like a Christmas tree. Each color represents a different weather watch or warning. The mainland gets the exciting colors like red, orange and yellow, while the surrounding waters get deeper shades of blue with increased severity of the warning. I would like to see a time lapse of the colors on the map changing throughout the year. Today we got our first real weather advisory of the season - a high wind watch. Some areas of Anchorage are forecasted to feel 85 mph winds. The advisory suggests that people "secure all loose objects that could be blown or damaged by the wind." Meghan and I will batten down the hatches tonight, who knows maybe a power outage will precipitate a three day weekend. On second thought that could also mean a lot of rapidly thawing fish in the freezer.

Signs of Spring?

The Balmoral wintered in the Caribbean

Although temps remain in the thirties and the snow piles linger, there are a few signs of spring in Kodiak. No, not the heads of crocuses, but the return of the M/V Tustumena and a cruise ship, the Balmoral. The Wisconsin-built "Trusty 'Tusty," Kodiak's regular ferry, spent the winter in Portland for an overhaul and steamed into Pier 1 this morning. Meanwhile, over at Pier 2, the Balmoral cruise ship released a few dozen umbrella-toting visitors on the shores of Kodiak. It's funny how an umbrella sticks out here in Kodiak, locals simply don't carry them. Those of us staying in port, however, will have to keep the raincoats out. The weather forecast is calling for several more days of rain.

The "Trsuty Tusty" at Pier 1 in greener days

Watchin' the Weather

Commenting on the weather is a state pasttime up here in the Frontier. Predicting it is another story. Today, for instance, we are under a Winter Weather Advisory until 4p AKST with up to 8" of snow expected. Looking out of the window at work right now though the clouds are patchy and no precipitation is falling. In fact, while driving a student to her job this morning we saw the sun poking through the clouds.
The image at left shows part of the Global Infrared Mosaic from NASA satellites. The image at right shows NOAA's satellite for the Alaska Region. The weather felt in Alaska - and eventually the L48 - is generated near the Equator off of the Indonesian Archipelago (bottom left of the first image). To predict weather in the L48 climatologists examine Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) near Indonesia. Warm SSTs usually cause active weather tracks that generate storms. Cooler SSTs create milder conditions. Often, climatologists are unable to accurately predict the long range forecast for Alaska due to several confounding variables such as sea currents and Arctic winds. Looking at the global mosaic (image at left), the North Pacific is experiencing an active storm track this month. As a result, places in Alaska like Juneau are getting slammed with round after round of heavy snowfall. In fact, Juneau has dug itself out of at least two major avalanches this winter already. These snowslides have left people without power for days at a time. In Kodiak, however, warmer winter weather has melted the snow that's hit the island. Today it's about 36 degrees and the 3-4" of snow that blanket the island's lower elevations in danger of melting away.

Sapuraanga

One of the many planes grounded for 5 days.

Sapuraanga -- "I am weathered in"

We flew in to Akhiok Tuesday morning battling 30 - 40 knot winds and freezing rain. The dispatcher for the air service said that we should call him as soon as we were ready to leave so that he could arrange for a flight to pick us up. We called at 1:30 and the dispatcher said that his planes were on a weather hold. We called again at 3:30 and got the answering machine -- everyone at the office had gone home for the day. Needless to say we weren't going home until the next day. So we found a spot on the school floor and crawled into our sleeping bags.

The next morning we awoke to howling winds that made the school walls creak and moan. The rain was heavy and the forecast called for 40 knot winds across the island. We started making dinner plans for the night and rescheduling appointments for the day.

On the third day the weather looked promising. During a morning walk through the village we noticed that the clouds seemed to be lifting -- the wind was certainly more calm than days prior. After the walk we called three air services in Kodiak to find out if anyone would pick us up that afternoon. The fog in Kodiak was too low and noone was flying. So we ate lunch and joined in the badmitton unit during PE. After chasing the birdie we learned that a plane had made it to Old Harbor but could not leave due to fog. Again, we began thinking of dinner plans for the third night.

Day four offered much the same as day three. Low clouds in Akhiok and light rain. The dispatcher at the air service said that the Kodiak airport, shrouded in fog, didn't see a plane land or take off all morning. Meghan's birthday present traveling via UPS Second Day Air -- for an extra $16 -- did not make it to Kodiak either. At the Akhiok school we found another book, settled in, and periodically checked the weather cameras. Needless to say, the fog did not lift. In the late afternoon, around 3:30, we took a walk to the end of the road. The end of the road in Akhiok leads to the southern end of Kodiak Island. For a few minutes the sky opened to reveal a brilliant blue sky and a bright 1st Quarter moon. At the water's edge we scattered two large eagles and ravens from an empty deer carcass. Then, as quickly as it opened, the ceiling closed and darkness fell. We noticed bear tracks near the end of the landing strip and hustled back to the school. Bedding down for the fourth night, I was optimistic for a break in the weather. Perhaps Mother Nature and Brother Wind might rest on the weekend.

Without really looking I knew that the weather on day five was not promising. A grey fog sat over Village in Akhiok. On the camera Kodiak's weather, 90 miles to the North, looked just as bleak.

On the morning of the sixth day, the view from the school was spectactular. A bright orange ribbon of sun laced the horizon over the bay south of the village. The sky remained clear throughout the morning and we were picked up at 11:40 ending our extended stay in the village of Akhiok.

The village of Akhiok from the air; The village school in Akhiok