Big Wind's Gonna Blow

Much of Southcentral Alaska’s coast is under high wind warnings Monday, as the first of two major wind events passes through parts of the Interior near the Alaska Range.

Turnagain Arm and higher elevations of Anchorage, as well as much of Prince William Sound's coast, are under high wind warnings from the National Weather Service until noon Monday, Dec. 28, 2015. Thompson Pass near Valdez is under a blizzard warning until 6 p.m. Monday, calling for 10 to 14 inches of snow. Courtesy NWS Anchorage

As of 6 a.m. Monday, the weather service’s Anchorage website listed warnings in effect until noon for Turnagain Arm and higher elevations of Anchorage as well as the coast of Prince William Sound, a region extending from the Cape Fairweather area in the east to the vicinity of Homer in the west.

In affected parts of Anchorage, including the Hillside, top wind speeds were expected to reach 75 to 80 mph before subsiding Monday afternoon. The Prince William Sound areas were set to see winds from 35 to 55 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph.

Rebecca Duell, a forecaster at the weather service’s Anchorage office, said Monday that the current weather system is the first of two expected to produce high winds in Alaska, with a stronger one expected overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

“It’s looking like it has the potential to affect the city of Anchorage more, the Anchorage Bowl, with stronger winds,” Duell said.

The Thompson Pass area near Valdez is under a blizzard warning until 6 p.m. Monday, with 10 to 14 inches of snow forecast amid sustained winds up to 30 mph and gusts of up to 45 mph.

 

None of the above is nearly so bad as what's happening in the Lower 48, with blizzards, tornadoes, and massive flooding. 

Please continue to pray for those in harm's way, and for the families of those who lost their lives from the horrible weather over the weekend.

Feast or Famine

You remember how the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race started last weekend on dirt trails?

Blizzard conditions roll in to slow Iron Dog snowmachine racers

photo by Bill Roth/ADN

The southern Seward Peninsula was under a winter storm warning expected to usher in blizzard conditions and deliver up to a foot of snow to White Mountain and Golovin, with less-severe conditions farther east, according to the National Weather Service.

BACON & That Scary Blizzard Forecast

with which they threatened the Anchorage hillside/Turnagain Arm/Girdwood area all weekend ... was mostly nothing. There were all the appropriate buzzwords: high winds, falling/blowing/drifting snow, whiteout conditions, travel & outdoor activities discouraged, blah blah blah.

There was no snow yesterday morning, nor in the afternoon, nor last night. We awoke a couple of inches this morning, and it's still snowing lightly now, although with little-to-no accumulation.

Meanwhile, the western Kenai Peninsula has snowfall totals this morning measured in feet. AccuHunch is living down to its richly-deserved reputation.

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The Fur Rondy is in full swing, and this morning's Daily News features a nice photo from the World Championship Sled Dog Races:

from www.adn.com

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There have been so many vehicle accidents involving moose, this winter, that the Alaska Moose Federation has begun setting up feeding stations in an effort to lure the moose away from roadways.

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And finally, there's this: the "most ridiculous, over-the-top bacon products". I disagree: you simply can't have too much BACON.


That's about all I've got for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Blizzard Warning

The temp was six degrees when we got up this morning, and has risen to 10. There's a blizzard warning taking effect at midnight tonight, and they're calling for 3" to 6" of snow with winds at 40 to 60 mph overnight & in the morning.

The sled dogs oughta be loving this.

More Winter Fun & Games

The day started out with near-blizzard conditions, and it's been more & more fun ever since. We've had close to eight inches of snow so far (at 1 pm), and snow is expected to continue until around midnight.

Seriously though, it's not any big deal. Even if we get the max amount forecast (a foot or so), it's nothing we haven't seen before. I think the biggest issue this a.m. was that The Highway - the only one there is - was closed in mid-town for removal of an 18-wheeler from a ditch, and everyone was forced onto side roads as they traveled north & south.

Everyone, that is, who hadn't listened to the morning news which was talking about the impending closure for an hour before it began.

The description of an Alaskan traffic jam may be different from yours:  "12 cars trying to pass a snow plow" ... but this one was during the morning rush, and it was bad for a couple of hours. I didn't have any trouble getting through, but others who were 15 to 20 minutes later along the same route took 1 1/2 to 2 hours to traverse the same stretch that I covered in 23 minutes.

The Six Ps, and all that ... when the forecast is for heavy snow & wind, the morning news can be useful.

In The Eye of the Storm

I talk about the weather a lot. There's a reason for that.


Right now, we have both a high wind warning and a blizzard warning in effect, for areas around and above Anchorage. All the heavy snows we've received recently - dry and fluffy stuff, due to the cold temps - are blowing, swirling and drifting like crazy in the windy areas.

Hillside above Anchorage (www.adn.com)

There have been at least two avalanches on the highway heading south out of Anchorage, at McHugh Creek and points southeast, and the highway is closed between there and Girdwood. Oh, you live south of Anchorage?  You can't go home tonight; best get a hotel room.

I wouldn't live anywhere else I can think of ... not nohow, not no way ... but sometimes the winters can be a mite ... vexing.

Wrapping Up an Eventful Day

The day started out a bit dicey, with the blizzard in our faces as we drove to work. Anchorage received 6" to 16", depending on location, but the wind was the big factor. It took what was otherwise an ordinary snowfall and caused two-foot drifts across freshly plowed roads, white-out conditions, and avalanches.

Isn't Spring fun?

On the bright side, Girdwood residents can now get out, if needed. The avalanches north & south of that community have been cleared, and the highway (the only highway) from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula is open again.

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Iditarod update: four top mushers busted out of Nikolai late Tuesday afternoon and headed for McGrath, one of the biggest towns along the Iditarod Trail.

Four-time champion Jeff King led a four-musher breakout at 3:08 p.m. Within a half-hour, last year's runner-up Sebastian Schnuelle of Whitehorse, Kuskokwim 300 winner John Baker of Kotzebue and 2004 champion Mitch Seavey of Sterling had given chase.

The article notes that "in recent years, the winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has come from among the frontrunners into Nikolai, the village at the far end of the Farewell Burn. This year, the group was more a herd than a pack. By 3:06 p.m. Tuesday, 21 mushers were parked in Nikolai. Most had made the 80-mile run from Rohn in under 11 hours." (click on the link, above, for the whole article).

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One sad note: Talkeetna bush pilot Clifford Hudson has passed away, at 84. He was recognized by the Air Force for his part in a 1954 rescue of six airmen who parachuted out of a stricken plane. He also ran Hudson Air Service out of Talkeetna for years.

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In other news, [t]he Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it is looking into the death of a person possibly killed in a wolf attack Monday in Chignik Lake.

And finally, there's this: a lady has created a podcast regarding her parents' memories of the 1964 Alaska earthquake, which measured 9.2 on the Moment scale - the third most powerful 'quake ever recorded. You can find the 'cast here.

Mushing & Blizzards = March in Alaska

"...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM AKST THIS MORNING..." (As opposed to 10 AM this afternoon?)

The weather guru at AccuHunch says it's the worst morning he's seen since he's been in Alaska. Since I don't know how long he's been here, I'm not sure what he means. Apparently D.O.T. is having trouble because the roads drift over as quickly as the plows go by.

Oh, well. It is what it is; we'll go to work like normal. If this weather stops you, you shouldn't be here. Either that, or you'll have a steep learning curve. Just keep to the right, please. :)

UPDATE: Visibility is poor, the roads are bad, some places haven't been plowed & the snow is over a foot deep in those areas. Blowing & drifting snow, plus passing autos make visibility down to 40 or 50 feet in places; there are intermittent white-out conditions.

TWO avalanches have closed the highway south of Anchorage, isolating the community of Girdwood. Drivers are being turned around on either side of the area.

Be careful out there, Alaska readers.

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Paul Gebhardt continues to lead the Iditarod this morning. Eight mushers have already scratched, on this second full day of the race. They're out of Rohn, and pushing toward Nikolai (see route map here).

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I guess I'd better dig out my hiking boots & parka. It looks rather wintry out there. Stay safe, warm & dry, folks.

Paul