The Snow That Missed Us

... fell just a bit to the east:

Richardson Highway closed following avalanche and extreme snow

This image, taken from a DOT weather camera near Valdez, shows the avalanche that is

shutting down a section of the Richardson Highway.

 

By Leroy Polk | 

Posted: Wed 9:53 AM, Dec 06, 2017  | 

Updated: Wed 10:00 AM, Dec 06, 2017

   

VALDEZ, Alaska (KTUU) - Crews are working to clear snow off of the Richardson Highway near Valdez, after excessive snow has not relented, and an avalanche has poured over the isolated highway stretch.

The road closure is contained between milepost 12 and milepost 42, after the avalanche shifted massive snow onto milepost 30. Meadow Bailey, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation, said that their crews haven't even been able to enter the zones within the road closure due to safety issued posed by the avalanche.

"It's not safe to have crews enter the avalanche zone, not until the conditions improve. We're looking for snow to stop, for visibility to increase, and hopefully daylight will help. But it may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow," Bailey said.

The avalanche, which cascaded over the road at 3:30 Tuesday morning, isn't the only problem. In neighboring Thompson Pass, the National Weather Service says the area saw over 6 feet of snow in just 3 days.

According to Bailey, one report from Valdez this morning said they saw 15 inches of snow in 90 minutes, causing poor road conditions in a short amount of time. Another 4 feet are expected for the region through today.

I Know That Wasn't Interesting

The weather forecast, that is. I had little time this morning, and didn't even comment on what I posted. Sorry; I know it's not nearly as interesting to someone in Cazador, Alabama as it is to us.

But the good/bad/sad news is ... there's no news to report. The local snowflakes and crybabies (but I repeat myself) are wetting themselves as they bemoan the evil fortune which brought them to an alternate reality where Donald J. Trump could get elected.

The 2017 State Legislature has convened, or is about to ... I lose track ... and faces the same budget battles as its immediate predecessor.

The Muni Assembly in Anchorage continues to threaten to resurrect a proposal to place a sales tax on the ballot in April. It would exempt groceries, prescription drugs, and so on, but everyone is losing their minds.

Personal note: I have to admit to a certain satisfaction when shopping. It's nice to know that the price sticker on an item at a store will cost you that much, and no more, when you check out. On the other, most places elsewhere in the country have sales taxes, and it's a part of life.

I think my major caveat is that I've never seen a sales tax that remained static. It always increases, because legislators always think of something else that they could use the money on. Always. 

But the area has recovered from the snow on Friday, as we prepare for the one beginning in a few hours. It's not supposed to be quite as much, this time 'round, but the forecasters are famous principally for being wrong much of the time.

Like I said, that's not news. :)

An Enjoyable Friday, and Here Comes the Snow

Today was one which I look forward to, each year. Many of you travel to conventions, off-site gatherings of whatever type, but I hardly ever leave the property which I oversee, except at quitting time.

Today was the annual Commercial Real Estate luncheon present by BOMA*, which I've been a member of for the last decade.

Speakers from the State Dept. of Economic Development, prestigious commercial real estate brokers, and property appraisers of good reputation talk about the State's economic outlook. They review the previous year, forecast trends, employment rates, businesses moving into/out of Alaska, etc.

It's always interesting, and I get to have a reasonably good lunch with people I know.

And my tenants always like to hear which national retailers are preparing to move to Alaska. In many cases, the store they open in Anchorage is the first one in Alaska.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the predicted snow has begun in earnest. Current predictions are for 3" to 5" tonight, 2" to 4" tomorrow, 5" to 8" on Monday. The high on Tuesday is predicted to be -5°. This could be an interesting weekend. But I have plenty of gas for the snowblower, so we can clear the drive if/when the snow lets up at some point.

Meanwhile, we all have four wheel drives, and going where we need to go - if we need to - isn't an issue.

The highway heading north out of Anchorage at 2:45 pm today. By tomorrow morning, it will be a lot whiter. :)

* Building Owners and Manager's Association

Friday, at Long Last

So the weather service is warning that a big snowstorm is headed our way on Sunday. They're confident on the timing, they say, but won't actually guess how much we might receive.

SO helpful.

Weather Underground says 1 to 3 inches, which is such a small amount that one wonders what the big deal is. But that guess will change several times between now and then.

The last 10 days has been rough, but things are slowly returning to normal ... or, at least, what passes for normal around here. :)

On a completely unrelated topic (smooth segue, eh?), I'm attempting to type this on a tiny bluetooth keyboard synced to a Galaxy tablet which came with my iPhone 6s. I won't tell you how many keystrokes have been the backspace button. It's a bit of a learning curve, but they keep telling us that learning keeps us young.

At this rate, I should be a teenager in no time. :)

Snow at Last; Alaska is Late to the (Winter) Party

It took its sweet time, but a serious snowstorm is just moving into town.



Snowing sideways, wind chills below zero, and forecasts of 7" to 13" ... we should have had this weather a couple months ago. Before Thanksgiving, anyway. It makes the real Alaskans* a little twitchy.  Okay, a LOT twitchy.

If you want to see what a solid wall of blowing snow looks like (and I'm guessing most of you have seen too much of that already), here's another view, looking east:



That's not dark skies; just lots of snow sweeping down from the mountains a couple miles away.

I'm home now, having already brought in the mail and trash can. My wife & Younger Daughter will each arrive in the next 30 minutes or so; Older Daughter gets off at 5:30, and driving could be interesting by then.

But everyone has a four-wheel-drive (necessary, in Alaska) so I've no extraordinary concerns for their safety; just the regular kind.  :)

Christmas Snow

I pray you all are having a wonderful, love-filled Christmas day, wherever you are.

We're getting something we've been waiting for: 7" to 14" of snow over the next 18 hours.  There is also an avalanche warning for the steeper mountainsides just a couple miles down the road from us, but we're in no danger here.

Update: the snow has petered out after only three inches, darn it. But at least we got some fresh white fluff.  :^)

In the Teeth of It

Our first big winter storm, that is.

Not that it's a huge deal for Alaska, but four-plus inches of the fluffy stuff first fell just before morning drive-time. The road crews haven't managed to make more than one pass down most of the streets, so there's a lot of snow to drive through or across, and a lot of right-turn lanes are plowed full. Smaller vehicles are struggling a bit.

The weatherman guesses we'll get close to 10" by late afternoon, to which I can only reply, "Bring it!"

We haven't yet had a snowfall so deep that my Expedition couldn't keep right on going. I think the deepest single snowfall in our decade here was 28" overnight.

* * * * *

Let's see what's in the news this morning, shall we?

found at www.ktuu.com

Repeating What We Know Dept:  KTUU Channel 2 confirms that the USS Anchorage will be commissioned at the Port of Anchorage on May 4, 2013. 

A Rough Way to Go Dept: An Anchorage mother of two remains in the hospital Tuesday night after a stolen vehicle that APD was chasing rammed her SUV Sunday night.   [The woman']s mother ... said doctors have described what happened to her daughter similar to what happens to a shaken baby.  On top of possible brain damage, [the woman] said her daughter has a broken pelvis and rib and her jaw is broken in 2 places.  (Video at the link)  The stolen vehicle was driven by some kid from Joplin, Missouri; no word on what he was doing up here.

A Whole Lotta Snow Dept: With heavy snowfall expected in Southcentral Alaska this week, the Red Cross says it's a good time to prepare personal emergency kits. Alaskans should keep about three days’ worth of supplies, including food and water, on hand for emergencies.  Red Cross of Alaska spokesperson Katie Bender says it's a good idea to keep a first aid kit and blankets handy in both homes and vehicles.

It's Who You Know Dept: There's a backlit display of faces - residents of the Mountain View neighborhood in Anchorage, to be precise - and pictures of the frosty visages can be seen here. After looking at those, the only thing that came to mind was, "Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."  Some of you may get that reference. Can you say Vashta Narada?


That's enough for now. Thanks for stopping by!

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.

* * * * *

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).

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

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).

* * * * *

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

Paul

Thursday 12/17

Winter has come back with a vengeance; we only received 9" of snow at my place, with depths ranging from 2.5" to 15" across town. The bigger story is the falling temps (down to four degrees at 10:00 a.m.) and sub-zero wind chills.

My back had me up at 1 a.m., and the weather was nearing white-out conditions. It was snowing sideways, and the treeline across the street disappeared from view while I was watching. This morning it's still breezy, but the snow has stopped started again. Perhaps we'll get another 4" today.

Valdez had 65" of snow through last evening, and received another 9" overnight. The highway leading there was closed two days ago due to the over seven feet of snow that fell in Thompson Pass.

The storm also knocked out cell phone coverage for much of Anchorage yesterday. The towers were still transmitting a carrier, but they were not connected to voice service. It was interesting to see five bars on my cell while it read, "No service".

And it's not officially winter yet.

Early Winter Storms - UPDATED x2

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm and coastal flooding warnings across the state today.

"THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM AKST THIS AFTERNOON.

SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL BE INCREASING TO 65 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 90 MPH ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON THEN WILL DIMINISH TOWARD EVENING"

Warnings for the rest of the state can be found here.

In the meantime, we're also expected 4 to 6 inches of fresh snow by tonight. 100 miles to the north, Talkeetna is expecting 18 to 22 inches. Some folks get all the luck, eh?

UPDATE: At 2 p.m. we went from flurries & windy, to a sideways blizzard, with swirling snow and reduced visibility. It's the fun season!

UPDATE: At 3:15, the snow stopped, although the winds picked up. The temp went above freezing, and all the snow on my truck promptly slid off.