Interesting article about Alaska's unseasonably warm weather

Clicky

I was just thinking how cool the spring has been here in Anchorage so far. Today is about the warmest we've had and it's up to 64* now at 1:13PM. It's nice for doing yard work in, but there's usually been just a touch of breeze to go with it making it almost too cool to just sit around and enjoy it.

Bill

Thanks for making that a clicky, Trackrig. You suppose the skeeters will be better or worse with that warm weather?

And we now bring you Trackrig with an up to minute weather report: Currently at 2:41PM it's now 67* in the shade in east Anchorage. Break out the umbrella shades, we've finally got a nice afternoon.

And as for the long range mosquito forecast, we expect an over all 23% decrease over the summer due to dryness and lack of standing water (except on the Dalton Hwy that is) this spring for them to breed in.

And to paraphrase another poster's tag line - this weather report is worth exactly what you paid for it. Aren't they all.

And an even more up to the minute weather report, it's now up to 68* in the shade.

5:41PM - 71*

Got to go back outside and enjoy it.

Bill

At 3:20pm it is 72 in Sterling on the Kenai, light breeze. The swallows are back this year so there will be fewer skeeters.

Yesterday it was 111F in the sunshine at our place, just a mere 90F in the shade. Ouch.

Fire hazard is extreme in most of Yukon. Don't be burning a campfire or tossing your cigarette butts, please!

I was in BC last summer and the smoke was terrible. I lost count of the fires I drove by, at least a dozen of various sizes. Hope it's not that way up north this year. The W. US was bad, too, with the big fires in WA.

And 111F must be setting a record. That's pretty darn hot for anywhere, yet alone way up north.

Warmer weather in Alaska will lead to more snow fall and hence, more spring flooding when that extra snow melts. If it warms up in the Interior and coastal Mountain ranges, they too will get more snow fall. The ole adage of it can get too cold to snow is basically true as the super cold air can't contain much water vapor. Warm that air up a bit and it can hold a lot more water vapor to lead to snow. More snow in the Coastal Mountain ranges will lead to more glacier formation and more glacier movement. Some scientists think this is what happened about 10,000 years ago when the last Ice Age occurred and sent glaciers as far south as Kansas. If that happened again, that would be one large urban renewal project for any cities north of Kansas. LOL But if we are on a 10,000 to 20,000 year cycle with Arctic temperatures, probably not much for those of us currently here to worry about. What caused it to warm up in the Arctic 10,000 years ago, who knows? This is a strange planet we live on at times that we don't understand, IMHO.

Keep in mind when we are talking warming, it may be from the -70 below zero we had in the mid 1970s to the -40 belows of this past winter in the Interior of Fairbanks and Tok areas. Both still colder than a well diggers arse in Siberia or to remove the appendages off a brass monkey.

We didn't hit -40 this past winter here.

Far different from the -70s I remember from decades ago.
-76F is the coldest I remember from childhood.
-60F was common in January.

All part of what i say are 25 and 50 year cycles. In the early 90's we had 40 below for 2 weeks and didnt get above 0 during the day. 20 below was common. So were due to get it back.

Down in southern BC ( West Kootenays) we had a very very mild winter. The snow pack was 85% less than normal. A lot of BC is already in a fire ban, and there are some big Forrest fires already in the PG area. The bush down here is tinder dry and it is still May, this doesn't happen until July August.
The creeks never got dirty with the spring run off, and the lakes are already lower than normal. This time of year they should be full from the run off, but they aren't. There are 8 hydro electric dams in a 30 mile stretch between Castlegar and Nelson on the Kootenays River none of them have water going through/ over the gates.
My lawn at home is already starting to burn, which usually doesn't happen until July August.
I fear this summer is going to be a really bad Forrest fire season, and a lot of BC will be burning.
Keep your fingers crossed that is doesn't happen.
Soup.