You Won't See It Coming

We've had lows of -11°every morning this week, except today. Today, it was -15°.

So to warm things up, I present a commercial from Germany. 

About the New Header

This is what our landscape looks like after a week of double-digits below zero for the daily highs.
Things get a bit frosty. We have rime frost that's well over an inch thick, and the cold is supposed to stay for several more days.

AccuHunch opines that it's the longest cold snap in at least a decade.

Oh, well, just more of those refreshing Alaskan breezes which Old NFO misses so much.

Near the top of the drive home.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I resolved to take pictures of the thermometer on the drives to and from church today.
But they were the same.

Click to embiggen the pic, if needed.

The trips were at 0915 and 1230, with temps unchanged. AccuHunch guesses we'll get above zero on Thursday. Probably.

p.s. Rob (below) thought that 52 was the temp. I'll own that one, so here's a clarification:

Saturday Shopping at -7°

Black Friday means tens of thousands of shoppers all heading toward Anchorage on the lone highway.

We avoid it like the plague.

Today, however, we needed a few things, so off we went at 09:30, before the Reavers and zombies hit the stores. Gas in the truck, renewed membership at Sam's, a few more decorative trinkets for the living room, and some odds & ends at Wally World.

-6 at the house, -7 along the river, -1 at the stores. If it gets much colder, I'll have to zip up my coat.

I Can't Even

Delta Junction, Alaska, this morning.

 

 
I told you it was cold. :)

 

-27 // "What Should We Do About Guns?"

It was -19 at the house this morning, and -27 along the river. It warmed all the way up to -19 at the office in Anchorage. Globular warmering at its finest, eh?

* * * * *

And here's something you won't see everyday: a university professor telling the truth about gun control.

It's Almost Cold

My readers to the north, in the Interior, will be scoffing. "You know nothing of cold, Rev," as they watch their thermometers dip south of -40°.

Probably so, but one gets used to what one experiences. It was -14 at our home on the hillside, and -18 along the river. It's only -9 in Anchorage, here at work, but much colder to the north. AccuHunch reports -25 in Wasilla, for example, and a balmy -53 in Tanana (central Alaska, along the way to Fairbanks).

By the way, for folks Outside, Tanana doesn't rhyme with "banana." It's TAN'-a-naw. So now you know.

* * * * *

A friend on the Book o' Faces suggested I should have stayed home by the fireplace. If I thought my employer would pay me to work from home, I'd be there so fast I'd leave smoking tire tracks in the snow. But my boss has this outlandish expectation that I'll actually be in my office during working hours. Entirely unreasonable, ain't it? :)

Ah, well.

* * * * *

If memory serves, the coldest temp up here was -83 at Trapper Creek, a few years ago. There was another spot in east central AK that installed a digital thermometer, but it stopped working at -83, so they don't know if it got any colder than that.

According to the State Troopers, the greatest problem at -65 is tires breaking. Apparently the rubber seams in tires come apart when the temp goes south of -55, so tires blow out if you move your car. That's what I've been told, anyway. I'm sure that someone from the Interior will correct me if I'm wrong.

Troopers have a specially-compounded tire for that, so they've been known to pick up motorists who lose air pressure all at once. I've seen video of buses running in Fairbanks at those temps, so they must use the special* tires, too.

* * * * *

So here's the official version:

50 below recorded in Interior as cold snap settles in

Fairbanks and Anchorage woke up Wednesday to an early taste of an expected cold snap this week, as temperatures plunged to 50 degrees below zero in some areas of the Interior.

 

The National Weather Service office in Fairbanks issued special weather statements Wednesday morning for the eastern Interior and western Interior warning of similar temperatures in valleys across the region and rising to only about 20 below on hilltops or in coastal areas.

 

Morning lows for the western Interior included 47 below in Fairbanks, 49 below at Fort Wainwright, 51 below at Eielson Air Force Base and Nenana, and 54 below in Tanana. In the east, lows ranged from 44 below in Ambler and Shungnak to 45 below in Galena, 47 below in Kaltag and 51 below in McGrath, Huslia and Nikolai.

 

In Southcentral Alaska, NWS meteorologist Bob Clay said the coldest Southcentral communities Wednesday included Talkeetna at 29 below, Wasilla at 27 below and Palmer at 20 below. Temperatures in the Anchorage Bowl were as low as the minus teens; Eagle River was at about 16 below.

 

Jim Brader, a Fairbanks-based NWS meteorologist, said temperatures fell quickly as the cold snap arrived Tuesday, hitting 30 below there by afternoon and 40 below by evening. He said relatively warmer weather should prevail beginning Friday due to cloud cover being brought into the area by two storms.

 

 

* For "special", substitute "very expensive".

A Cold Day for a Walk

My beautiful wife and I have been planning a walk today. There's a nearly-exact one-mile circuit by circling the blocks to the north of us, and it's high time we started utilizing it.

We cleaned the house last weekend, and yesterday saw us clear all the snow from the stairs, walkway and driveway.

The only fly in the ointment is the temperature. It's currently 2 degrees, and AccuHunch says it will be dropping a degree per hour for most of the day, heading for -10 tonight. So it will already be below zero by the time the sun comes up. We'll decide how many layers to put on, to protect ourselves, but are determined to begin this new routine.

Besides, if we wait for "better" weather, that could well be April or May.

Meanwhile, y'all be careful out there, stay warm and safe - and thanks for dropping by.

Update: AccuHunch underestimated the temperature change. I posted this two hours ago, and it's already -2°.  Could be an interesting day.

A Two-Hour Chore

We moved the 10" of snow out of the driveway, and cleaned off the balcony and stairs while we were at it. It was 11° when we started, and 10° when we finished. AccuHunch continues to insist it will drop to -7 overnight, so there's nothing left to do but sit in front of our own fireplace. :)

Saturday's Task

So we got a total of 10" of snow yesterday. Today, we get to clean it out of our 275' driveway. Meanwhile, it's 9°, with temps falling to around 0° by suppertime.

Time to break out the winter coats.

Snowy Morning, Falling Temps & Politics as Usual

Good morning, everyone.

 

Southcentral Alaska received roughly 3" to 6" of snow overnight. Because of warmer temps, this morning's drive was better than yesterday's, i.e., not as much swirling snow. It was 19° when I left home, but in the low 20s here in Anchorage. The snow retains more moisture in warmer temps, of course, so it's heavier. No white-outs, like yesterday.

 

Meanwhile, AccuHunch confidently predicts that temps will fall throughout the day, winding up around -10° F. tonight. Tomorrow, they say, we'll be lucky to see anything as warm as zero. On Sunday, perhaps -15. That's what happens when you have a fresh coat of snow coupled with clear skies. At least it does, up here north of the 61st parallel.

 

Of course, if you think we're having cold temps, don't look at Fairbanks/Bettles/Circle/Eagle/North Pole, etc. It's -4 in Fairbanks right now, and will close in on the -30 mark by Sunday or Monday nights.

 

Suddenly -10 doesn't sound so bad, eh?

 

* * * * *

 

In other Alaskan news, it's official: the election results have been certified, and it passed by six votes. The mayor signed the petition, and the Governor of Alaska signed it. The town called "Barrow" has ceased to exist. Let the cartographers and DOT sign-makers commence the changes. Notify Rand-McNally! Notify the Internet! Call your Aunt Sally! Conjugate your verbs!

 

Okay, never mind that last one. But wait, there's more:

Town formerly known as Barrow already in court over new name of Utqiaġvik

 

We have officially entered the era of sore losers who refuse to accept reality, seeking activist judges who will proclaim alternatives to the truth.

 

Sigh...

-6° F.

Another nippy morning, but the humidity is much lower. The frost wasn't bad, and didn't require any scraping. What little was on my windshield wasn't enough to obscure my view, so I just got in (after a little pre-heating) and drove to work.

* * * * *

Our governor, bless his darling heart and empty liberal head, has announced that banning Syrian refugees "is not something he's considered." The safety and welfare of the residents of the State aren't worth his time, you see; he's too busy worrying about the budget, or the natural gas pipeline ... or something.

However, it seems there's more to the story than the headline would indicate.

Unlike most states, the refugee state coordinator in Alaska does not work in the state government, said Robin Bronen, executive director for the Alaska Institute for Justice a former refugee coordinator. Here, Catholic Social Services works with national groups to place refugees, she said. A spokesman for Catholic Social Services issued this statement today in response to questions about potential Syrian refugees in Alaska:

"The U.S. refugee resettlement and asylum programs are lifesaving programs that provide a second chance in life to those in desperate need of safety. Welcoming those fleeing persecution is an American tradition and part of our values that have defined this country. These individuals, given the chance to reconstruct their lives here, eagerly contribute to the nation’s economic, political, and cultural strength. “

Security measures are intrinsic to the integrity of the refugee and asylum programs and we support strong, just, and secure programs. We support steps taken by the U.S. government to ensure a secure, effective, just, and humanitarian rescue of refugees and asylees. Refugees undergo thorough and rigorous security screenings prior to arriving to the United States. Asylum seekers also undergo rigorous background checks."

Never mind that Syria doesn't really exist as a political entity; not anymore. So there are no records on the refugees. The U.S. State Department has already said it can't conduct screenings on the refugees, because there are no backgrounds available.

Good thing we're relying on those, then.

We're so hosed.

Some Mornings ...

... you should just stay in bed.

It's -4°, last time I looked, and there was a two-day buildup of heavy frost on the trucks this morning. Thank God for block heaters! My SUV required some scraping, but only minimal.

My wife's new vehicle doesn't have a block heater yet, but I suspect that will be addressed soon. Her windows were solidly covered, and I cleared her windshield (more or less) while waiting on my back window defroster to have an effect. I'm certain that she'll grow tired of repeating scraping, long before this winter draws to a close in March or April. Or May. Depends on the year, don'tcha know.

AccuHunch opines that we'll have rising temps and a few inches of new snow by Thursday. That's okay, now. This arctic front will have had several days to freeze the road surfaces before the snow arrives, so it won't be overly slick by then.

On a side note, we installed some of the new-fangled "studless" winter tires on her crossover, and - so far - they grab the ice like the tires are clamped to the road. She's quite pleased, and so am I.

* * * * *

I installed a check reader on my work PC this morning, and it will be interesting to see how it works. The idea is two-fold: it will limit the number of trips to the bank each month, and (apparently) the-powers-that-be assume I have several acres of unused real estate on my desk.

But the wires, cables, power supplies, and phone lines are now appropriately redistributed and arranged, and a VP of something-or-other from the bank is supposed to call, tomorrow, to walk me through a "how to use it" session over the phone.

Old dogs, new tricks ... sigh ...

There's No Temperature This Morning

which would explain the 0° display on my dashboard while driving in. :)

Falling temps and dense fog; that's been our weather for the last 72 hours. The frost continues to build on unheated surfaces, and bare pavement provides all the traction of axle grease.

If it weren't for studded tires, three-quarters of Anchorage cars would be in roadside ditches by now.

* * * * *

I have occasionally um, okay, regularly expressed frustration with federal over-regulation and overreach in Alaska, with the Fed controlling 60 percent of the state. Clearly, this is at odds with the concept of State sovereignty and self-determination.

There's a decent commentary in today's paper, on that topic. It's worth a look, and here's an excerpt to whet your interest:

So here we are. We are facing multiple issues of federal overreach and with the perfect governor for the job – the one mentored by the late, great Gov. Hickel. So far, we have seen no bold moves. There have been no bulldozers in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, nor have we sent teams up to ANWR to start exploring for oil.

Clearly the governor can’t really do what he claimed he would in that debate. He spoke boldly in order to garner support for the shock value of the statement. However, this is exactly what we elected Walker to do. If there is one thing we gave the governor a mandate to do, it was to stand up to the federal government. So now, Gov. Walker, all eyes are on you – what’s your move?

 * * * * *

Speaking of federal overreach, it seems railroads have been ordered to install "a federal mandate that would make improvements to train safety. It's called PTC or Positive Train Control. The National Transportation Safety Board says every rail line in the country must implement it by the end of the year."

There's one problem with this technology for commuter rail: Alaska doesn't have any. While the Alaska Railroad (owned/operated by the State, not Amtrak. They went broke trying to run it, and sold it to us) provides passenger service, it's not a commuter service, and doesn't plan to provide it.

Another Chilly Morning

It was -11° when I awoke; these temps will be normal in another month, but that's a little cool for the end of November. Oh well, AccuHunch guesses it'll be warmer in a few days. 

* * * * *
There's been another fatal plane crash, this time in western Alaska near the village of St. Mary's.

Four people died in a plane crash late Friday near the western Alaska village of St. Marys, according to the president of the company operating the flight. Six people aboard the plane were injured, said Jim Hickerson, the president of Hageland Aviation.

Of course it's too soon for any kind of official finding on the cause of the crash, but it was 18° and foggy. Ice/frost build-up is a possible culprit.

* * * * *

We're heading out after breakfast to do a little shopping. Definitely not the "Black Friday" frenzy type, anyway. 

Thanks for stopping by, friends; I appreciate it.

Blogging and Other Randomosity

I've heard from a number of friends and readers ... no, that's pretty much the same thing. Let me start again.

I've heard from a number of friends, both those I've met face to face as well as those I've met on-line, and the consensus is that I should continue.

Alrighty, then.

The speed and frequency of posting will be in irregular bursts, much like a teenager first encountering an accelerator. But I'll stick around. Who knows? I might have something to say, one of these days. :)

* * * * *

If you've glanced at the local temp on my sidebar, you've seen that it's been darned cold for the last week. It was a bit of a shock to the ol' system, as they say, to return from the consistent 82 degrees in Honolulu to the negative temps here. But it's not unexpected.

The temp at my building this morning (outside, not inside) was -7° F, and that's a pretty good indicator of how the last three mornings have been. I quickly discovered that the new ice scraper I purchased is rubbish. Fortunately, we have a couple of spares in the garage, so tomorrow morning's scraping-o'-the-windshield should be a bit easier.

Oh - some of you may have just caught the bit about me driving a sedan, and remembered that I posted a few months ago about a Ford Escape.

It seems that Younger Daughter, after borrowing it for a couple of days while her car was in the shop, decided she likes it way better than the car.

A dad's gotta do what a dad's gotta do. :)

I'll get another SUV or pickup ... eventually. Until then, I'm glad to see that the sedan has traction control. Snow's coming.

Baby, It's Cold Inside

Bad news:  it's 57 degrees on the third floor of the medical building I manage.

Good news: we just got the HVAC fixed, and everything should return to normal in the next 20 or 30 minutes.

Well, as normal as anything can be, given that it's still -11° outside.

-14° Again

This is more like what we expect in January, temperature-wise, rather than the mid-40s we'd been experiencing. By tomorrow, though, it will be back in the upper 20s with light snow moving in.

But judging by the temp outside, it appears I picked the right time to get the truck's heater fixed.

Brrrr

Good morning! It's -13 at the ol' homestead, and all's quiet. Of course, "quiet" is normal at 3:30 in the blessed a.m.

Today will be 12 seconds longer than yesterday, so not really noticeable. What we noticed yesterday was that it was clear and sunny for our 5 1/2 hours of daylight, and everyone is grateful for the light. Today will be mostly sunny as well.

AccuHunch is predicting snow will move in tonight, and says we could get up to a foot by Tuesday, with most of the snow coming on Christmas day. Yay!

* * * * *

I'm not sure that I've ever been 'gruntled', but I'm definitely disgruntled this morning. I delivered my wife's car to the body shop at 9am on Tuesday, for what was described as an "overnight repair". (They had called on Monday afternoon, saying the parts were already in.)

After waiting all day Wednesday for a call which never came, I called them again on Thursday to see what the delay might be. It seems they'd received the wrong bumper, and had to get a different one, but "it could still be finished by the end of the day." Okay, fine.

Yesterday morning, I called them again. "Oh, just a couple more hours," they said. Finally, they called at 5:08 p.m., 22 minutes before their closing time, to announce it was ready for pickup. My wife had been out most of the day, and was exhausted after two doctor visits. There was no way she was going to be ready to go for a drive across town, in after-work traffic, to try to beat the shop's 5:30 closing time.

And they're not open on weekends. Of course.

So Monday morning we can retrieve the family sedan, on the sixth day after dropping it off for that overnight repair job.

grumble mumblemumble grumble ... harrumph.

* * * * *

So let's see ... anything in the news?

"Post Office busy" ... nope, that's not news.

"Obama taps Kerry for Sec. of State" ... nope, not that either.

"Obama tries to get stalled cliff talks back on track" ... yeah, right. Sure he does. I thought the whole point of the Cloward-Piven strategy was to make the system crash.


That's enough of that. I'm going to stop here, before I'm intolerably grumpy all morning. Y'all have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by.

-12° F.

It's a bit nippy this morning - I actually had to zip up my parka for the morning drive.

All y'all talk amongst yourselves; I'll be back, later. And oh yes, have some cookies.  :^)