Despite colder-than-average temperatures, schools reopen after holiday
Published Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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FAIRBANKS — It’s nothing but bad news for students returning to school today.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District does not close for cold weather, though there is no outdoor recess at 20 below zero in elementary school. And at 40 below zero, all activities that require bus transportation are canceled — including field trips and extracurricular events.
District school bus company First Student notifies local radio and TV outlets if buses are running more than five minutes late in temperatures 20 below zero or colder. The company also sends out notifications if a route cannot be completed.
The school district said in the rare event that classes are canceled, parents and students will be notified by local radio and TV stations and on the News-Miner’s Web site. Notifications also will be posted on the school’s Web site, www.northstar.k12.ak.us.
The news is also bad for people old enough to have forgotten school.
During the brisk weekend, areas east of Fort Yukon recorded temperatures as low as 60 below zero, and a weather station in North Pole reported 56 below zero.
Forecaster Don Aycock, with the National Weather Service office in Fairbanks, said the cold spell is expected to stay in town until Friday at the earliest. By the end of the week, Interior Alaska residents are expected to get a break as temperatures warm up to the 20 below zero range.
“It will be really cold through Friday, and although it will remain cold, it will be 10 to 20 degrees warmer,” he said.
The cold snap hasn’t broken any records, but Aycock said the average temperature for the Interior this time of year ranges from 1 below to 18 below zero. The region also is entering what has been traditionally the coldest time of the year. That period lasts until the middle of January.
Aycock said irregularities in the various models used by the National Weather Service’s Fairbanks office have led to inconsistencies about a high pressure ridge moving into the Interior and creating some warmer temperatures.
“Not all of the models are in agreement,” he said.
That uncertainty means the timing of the end of the cold snap could vary.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, said lead National Weather Service forecaster Ted Fathauer. “Just as spring follows winter, the end will eventually come.”
Temperatures are expected to continue to rise after the weekend. “Midweek next week could reach temperatures near zero or slightly above,” he said.
Monday’s ice fog wasn’t as heavy as it was over the weekend, according to measurements taken at the Fairbanks International Airport. Aycock said a possible reason for the decrease was a breeze at higher altitudes.
But less ice fog doesn’t mean warmer temperatures. Aycock said temperatures in the 40 below zero range will stick around until the weekend, despite the clearing fog.
Contact staff writer Christi Hang at 459-7590.
Community Discussion
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I really don't feel comfortable sending my son to school when it's -51.
More than anything, PLEASE exercise caution and watch for children standing at bus stops. The ice fog can make it difficult to see them. PLEASE slow down and pay attention.
Very well put "oldakcuss."
How about I add to that...."PLEASE have your automobile LIGHTS ON!!"
Hard to imagine some folks actually navigating in this ice fog without their lights on.
But I've seen a few people doing just that in recent days.
Kids need to be seen in this thick stuff.
But they need to see you coming as well.
-16 in the hills this morning, but there is a breeze and no ice fog.
I saw a vehicle with his lights off the other day on the Rich Hwy. Come on folks...turn your LIGHT ON!!!
You have to get your kids to school, otherwise you will be keeping them home more than you think. Of course this is personal choice and your right as a parent. However, this is interior Alaska and this is the price I and you pay for living in the most beautiful part of the state. Its well worth the summer we get I believe.
I agree about the head lights, there are a lot of people who believe they will save a drop of gas. BUT, A child's life is more important.
But you can lead a jack ass to water, but you can't make him drink!
The article is incorrect in saying "all activities that require bus transportation are canceled — including field trips and extracurricular events." Only K-8 activities are automatically canceled. High school activities are canceled at the discretion of the principals.
You know, sometimes folks forget to turn on their lights. Flash them first, insult second.
Im- Headlights require energy to work, which comes from burning gas. Turning off the headlights (and A/C) decreases the load on the engine so the mileage goes up. I mentioned A/C specifically because all the newer cars run the A/C when you use the windshield defrost. This makes no sense here at this time of year, but I'm told if you live somewhere that's at 35 degrees with high humidity then the windshield defogs faster with the A/C running.
Dress your children well in this weather. Parents of middle schoolers: consider staying home 'till your kids get on the bus in order to make sure they don't go out there w/o their arctic gear (sandals w white socks were the fad, when my kids were that age)-if you're fortunate enuf to have a job where you can do that (so many don't). Parents of walkers: make sure the school will allow your children to get inside the school when they get there (diff schools have diff rules, if you can believe that). Make sure your kids walk w someone, if at all possible -or drive them. Tell them they may eventually lose some of their hearing if they don't wear a hat, 'cause it's true.
This is life-threatening cold. Tell them to leave their stuff on, on the bus, and to just unzip & to also hang onto their mittens, scarves, hats, etc (reminders are excellent things) & to double check b4 they get off. Most drivers don't.
Feed your child a good breakfast and keep them hydrated-it makes a tremendous diff at these temps. Kids are much safer at school, in these temps, than they are at home - especially at home alone-if they can make it to school in one piece. And oh yeah, most importantly: don't let your kids get locked out of your house. Remember the 14 yr old who walked next door in her tennis shoes at these temps and had blackened feet, in the hospital, bc the neighbors house was also locked.
Good luck, folks. On the other hand, here's something we can make a substantial diff w, w our children, and that's a good thing!
I dropped my son off at North Pole Middle School this morning and I saw a boy walking from the bus to the building wearing only a t-shirt. His arms were bright red. Even on the bus I'm sure it is cold enough to warrant a coat.
Thanks slider, couldn't have explained it any better!
I'd send my kindergartner off but we all took a trip to Wal-Mart and got that lovely stomach flu. Watch out for this parents! Its only a 24 hour flu but your body (and your kids body) will feel sore for about another 24 hours after the sickness has gone away. My son goes to Pearl Creek Elm. and when I called this mourning to report him as absent the lady told me that a lot of kids are sick with this bug.
Just a little FYI in case your family hasn't gotten it yet.
The North Pole @ Lathrop basketball games scheduled for tonight has been postponed until February 10 @ Lathrop due to cold temperatures.
The Girl's Ice Hockey series between Dimond/West of Anchorage and the Arctic Bears scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Jan 8, 9, & 10 has been canceled and will not be made up.
I like your argument conservation of energy argument slider, but there aren't any clutches on an alternator, its always running. Even if you don't use it.
Turning on your headlights doesn't waste gas. If your lights are off and the battery is fully charged, the extra energy is blocked by the transistor acting as a resistor and is converted to a small amount of heat. That is why alternators have cooling fins on them near the electronics.
The AC compressor is hard to turn and can stall a motor at low RPM. To prevent this, most cars automatically raise the motor idle speed when the AC is on, this is why it uses more fuel. At low engine RPMs the AC has a noticeable effect on the fuel economy, but at high RPMs its a very negligible effect.
If you want to save gas, just keep your foot off the pedal, and keep your vehicle maintained.
-James
Regarding headlight usage... I doubt many, if any, people are concerned with fuel mileage regarding using their headlights. They just think that since they can see where they are going, they don't need headlights. They aren't smart enough to realize that there are more uses that headlights serve, such as letting others see you. They should be on for ANY adverse weather, be it darkness, rain, snow, fog, sun at your back, etc... I feel that white cars should have them on 100% of the time in winter as they always blend into the snow in the background, making them harder to see when taking that quick look before pulling out.
Regarding the A/C.... I know with my previous car, if I was driving down the road at 65mph and turned on the A/C, I could feel the engine load down with the added strain. That had a significant effect on fuel economy.
"You have to get your kids to school, otherwise you will be keeping them home more than you think."
No, you do not HAVE to get your kids to school when the temps are life-threatening,,, It doesn't get down to -50 all that often. What we are having now is unusual, both with the extremely low temps AND the length of the cold snap. Yes, there is a price to pay for living in the interior, but I would prefer that price to be missing a few days of school as opposed to risking physical injury to my kids. You are right it is a personal choice for parents, and I think its probably better to allow people to simply make that choice without inflicting guilt for putting their childrens health and safety first.
Jimbo-If you look around on line (here's a sample http://horsepowersports.com/auto-exhaust...) the auto engineers will tell you that something like 5-8% of the gas burned in a car goes toward making electricity. Obviously, this is some kind of average. If you have the headlights, and the blower, and the radio, and a 12V TV for the kids, and electric seat warmers the percentage would be on the high end. It's true that alternators don't have clutches, but that's because they don't need one for the same reason diesel electric trains don't need clutches. The torque is switched in and out electromagnetically instead of from a pair of disks sliding on one another.
Here is a nice demo I saw at a science fair one time. They had a stationary bike hooked up to a car alternator. You could have zero load, or you could power 1, 2 or 3 75W light bulbs. With no electrical load the pedaling was easy because all you had to do is beat bearing friction in the alternator, but all 3 lightbulbs hooked up put such a load on the alternator you almost couldn't make them all light up. No clutch, of course, just a changing electrical load.
Jason- I'm not trying to tell people to leave their headlights off, certainly not in adverse conditions. Accidents waste energy too, and worse, which is why you can't turn the lights off on many vehicles.
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