For years now I've been posting extremes with regard to winter weather here in South Central Alaska. Specifically conditions in the Interior or in my case on the peripheries of the Interior. Our Cabin is located roughly 8 miles Northwest of the village of Skwentna so we are not deep into the interior as if we were at McGrath or elsewhere.
I have however seen some swings in temps and conditions over the past ten years that are truly mind boggling. Back around 2007 / 08 I spent a winter out there, actually only three months of the winter but during that time, within the same week in January I saw a period where the temp looked in the -45 zone for 4 days and that was followed in a 36 hour time frame with a high of 49 and a very hard rain. That was really unbelievable, a swing of 94* over a 36 hour period. Winter by winter the extreme swings seem to persist.
Just this past Tuesday morning I arrived at Willow AK. to launch for a short recon trip to the cabin. Due to warm conditions I didn't go out before the new year and Tuesday was my day to put in a good trail and pack things down for a couple days. When I departed the area where I left my truck and trailer the temperature was a brisk -20 degrees. I couldn't tell if I rode through any colder areas along the rivers because -20 at 30 mph doesn't allow for a good basis to sense any minor changes. Out at the cabin which is 75 miles from the launch site the air was only -7 so it was in fact warmer out there than where I had came from just three hours earlier. The nightly lows were right around -18 which would be suitable for this time of year here. The snowpack leaves a little to be desired, I guestimate that it is a bit under three foot total.
Today as I type this the temperature up at Willow is 35 degrees which is a solid gain of 55 degrees over just 4 days ago. When I state that there may well be something happening with the climate around the country it is changes like this which are the basis for my posts. At 9 O clock this morning it was warmer here than in Williamsport PA. or Shawnee OK. and somehow that has been the case for most of the past 6 weeks............
If you are a member here in AK. and I know we have a few, what's happening where you are at?
I have however seen some swings in temps and conditions over the past ten years that are truly mind boggling. Back around 2007 / 08 I spent a winter out there, actually only three months of the winter but during that time, within the same week in January I saw a period where the temp looked in the -45 zone for 4 days and that was followed in a 36 hour time frame with a high of 49 and a very hard rain. That was really unbelievable, a swing of 94* over a 36 hour period. Winter by winter the extreme swings seem to persist.
Just this past Tuesday morning I arrived at Willow AK. to launch for a short recon trip to the cabin. Due to warm conditions I didn't go out before the new year and Tuesday was my day to put in a good trail and pack things down for a couple days. When I departed the area where I left my truck and trailer the temperature was a brisk -20 degrees. I couldn't tell if I rode through any colder areas along the rivers because -20 at 30 mph doesn't allow for a good basis to sense any minor changes. Out at the cabin which is 75 miles from the launch site the air was only -7 so it was in fact warmer out there than where I had came from just three hours earlier. The nightly lows were right around -18 which would be suitable for this time of year here. The snowpack leaves a little to be desired, I guestimate that it is a bit under three foot total.
Today as I type this the temperature up at Willow is 35 degrees which is a solid gain of 55 degrees over just 4 days ago. When I state that there may well be something happening with the climate around the country it is changes like this which are the basis for my posts. At 9 O clock this morning it was warmer here than in Williamsport PA. or Shawnee OK. and somehow that has been the case for most of the past 6 weeks............
If you are a member here in AK. and I know we have a few, what's happening where you are at?
