> Nice one Ken. The -10-15F coming from Iowa must feel like home. :) It's
> the sunset at 2:30 that I'd have a problem with. Or is it 10am sunrise?
> Sun time/clock time is skewed way off up there. AK should have at least
> 3 time zones of its own. Or do you just use moon cycles or the moose rut ;)
Thank you.
It's actually MUCH better here than in Iowa. In Iowa, the wind is
nasty and the cold fronts roll through at regular intervals. Anchorage
rarely gets a front come through of ANY kind. We're out of almost
every weather pattern and are shielded from the nasty snows by the
Chugach Mountains. Temperatures are usually moderate. Sub-zero (F)
temps happen every year, but usually for a couple of weeks and then
settle in 0-20F Although, at the house, we're typically 10 degrees
colder than in the Anchorage Bowl. The Cook Inlet keeps Anchorage warm
in the winter, cool in the summer. Our temperatures are moderated by
the marine environment. But by the time you get up to the Mat-Su
Valley, it gets windy and cold because the winds will come down from
three different river valley systems, with two draining from the
Alaskan interior.
This past summer, we had a high-pressure dome build up over the
Anchorage area. It was most unusual and was dense enough that the
normal atmospheric flux failed to dislodge it. It got hot and dry.
We're making up for that.
Growing up in West Michigan, along the lake shore, I find the amount
of snow to be similar. Actually, the weather is quite a bit alike,
except it's MUCH MUCH MUCH drier here. Even when it's raining in
summer, the air is normal to dry humidity.
Sunrise/Sunset times are so weird. Everybody focuses on the winter
darkness, but that's only a major issue for about three months. About
half of November, December, January, and half of February. By the time
we're in the later reaches of February, it's almost the same as the
Lower-48. And once you get past the Equinox, our days are longer than
in the lower-48. Depending on time of year and location, the change
from one day to the next in daylight is around five minutes, give or
take a minute or two. In just one week, you really notice the
difference.
Back to the weather for a second: This is the first place I've ever
lived where I didn't pay attention to weather forecasts. Without
weather systems, it boils down to this: Wintertime: If it's clear, it
will be cold. If it's cloudy, it will snow. Summertime, If it's clear
you bring your rain parka. If it's cloudy, you wear your rain parka.
They don't use salt on the roads, nor do they plow until AFTER the
snow event is finished.
Once I have my PTO hours built back up, I will likely escape for a
couple weeks in January.
AK Schnozz
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