It’s almost over: Tanana Valley cold snap poised to break
Published Monday, January 12, 2009
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — Temperatures in the Tanana Valley could rise dramatically in the coming days.
A blast of warmer air coming from the Alaska Range — warmer relative to the ongoing severe cold stretch — should start to thaw out a frigid Fairbanks and Tanana Valley early this week, forecasters say.
Thermometers Sunday continued to hang around 40 below zero. But by tonight, things will be inching toward 20 below, said Daniel Robinson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Fairbanks, and then temperatures should continue to cruise well above zero.
“By mid-week, we’re looking at a chinook, a fairly strong chinook, in the mountains,” Robinson said. He predicted temperatures could even flirt with the freezing mark by the end of Wednesday, which would represent something on the order of a 70-degree swing in temperatures in a few days.
“With a chinook this strong, you can’t really rule anything out,” he said.
The warm weather comes courtesy of a low-pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska, Robinson said. There’s a chance a quick shot of snow could usher the temperature changes into Fairbanks, he said.
Sunday was the 10th straight day it’s been 40 below or colder in Fairbanks and the 16th straight with temperatures 30 below or colder, according to the Weather Service. That falls short of the all-time record for consecutive days in Fairbanks at 40 below or less — 18, set twice since 1964.
Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.
Community Discussion
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WOOT WOOT! Finally I'll be able to get off of the computer and into the outdoors. Cabin fever has taken it's toll on me
Bring it on!
Ready for some skiing!
Remember, sudden changes like this can cause the very cold ice to somewhat "melt" even though it isnt at melting point. High possibility of icy roads.
Conditions for Mon Jan 12 2009 as of 125am [day 17] into this major coldspell 3 miles east of North Pole as follows :
Current Temperature : -40 below F
Local Barometer : 29.97 mb and falling
Fishermans Barometer : tube is 20 percent filled and rising
Warmer temps sure would be nice on our vehicles. I know mine has been hit hard since we don't have a garage.
Opsamk, The exposed ground is still frozen quite hard and cold. The warm air increases in humidity, and the dew point shifts. Ice from the moisture in the air freezes to the colder surface.
Yes, when it gets anywhere upward of -5 or even -10 in these conditions, it'll be more apt to be notably slick.
The increases to near freezing temperature would make it incredibly slick even without the radical temperature differential between the hard-frozen exposed ground and the significantly warmer air. But these current conditions make it much worse.
So, all of you tail-geters, folks who approach (traffic signals/yield signs/stop signs/dangerous curve signs) and busy intersections at high rates of speed, and those who allow insufficient time and space for other maneuvers, make sure to call your insurance agents in advance, and tell them that there's a good chance that you'll be seeing more of them sometime this next week or so.
Hey Sean, can we thank you for bringing the warm weather with you? Why did you take so long, dude?
The one thing I dread about this warm spell is now my pipes will probably thaw out. I'm expecting to hear water spraying out the burst spots any day now...
Wooo Hooooooo! Happy happy warm dance! Get out your shorts and sandals folks, we're having a heat wave! Opsamk - You're so right. I hope everybody is careful about the slick roads we're gonna have.
Historically speaking, these are the events from which the tow truck operators and body shops make their greatest bread and butter. Their increased incomes during these times are the direct result of the noteworthy shared attributes between human beings and lemmings. ;^>)
Sean, can you swing by my neighborhood and bring that warm air with you tonight? I'd really like to get my truck started in the morning.
Dirk, I believe I see you cyber-gloating. Are you in the business, by chance?
foothills of Alaska Range:
At 5pm it was -40, by midnite it was 'only' -20. It has now gone up to -15 and still rising.
:o)
When it is springtime in Alaska it is 20 below!
Nope. Never made a dime pulling anyone out of the ditch, or fixing body metal. Just cynically humored to no end by the repetetive nature of the behaviors of the average homosapien, and their refusal to learn from past circumstances; albeit in ways that all-to-often take a toll on others. When they go sliding around as though they had no clue, there's almost invariably others in their oblivious paths..
That's all..
But they'll reflexively vote to keep you safe from yourself at the drop of a hat. Yep, we're a fickle lot, we are.. we human beings... and lemmings..
We often seem to race, race, race, to get up to the edge of that proverbial river bank or cliff, so that we can jump right in..
Why? 'Cause we just gotta' get ahead of that guy in front of us, and ... I guess becuae it's there....
It's what many of us, (and lemmings) do. Still trying to figure it out myself..
Kinda' like the folks who speed up when they're being passed on a two-lane road with on-coming traffic; just no obvious sensible explanation, other than to acknowledge that we're a lot like lemmings.. But bigger, carnivorous, and with our fur more contained or restricted to specific areas of our bodies...;^>)
Come on warm air, come on warm air. Doris has her shorts and sandals at the ready. Jbriggsrivers' cars are going to start without that horrifying screeching sound, justinmaple is gonna hit the slopes. JAB's gonna give the computer a well-deserved rest. I've got my plumbing repair supplies all lined up and ready at the first sound of spewing water. And did you see?? 5:28 more light tomorrow than today... Life is good. It rocks to be an Alaskan.
temperature rose about 4 degrees in the last 15 minutes.
3:20 A.M and it is up to -29 degrees. Yippee
-27 degrees
Aloha Chinook Winds!!
O KNOW THE FUEL THIVES WILL BE OUT AGAIN AT -50 THEY HOSES BREAK and IF YOU SEE CHETT IN YOUR AREA WATCH OUT YOU"RE NEXT HE BE RUNNING LOW IN THIS LONG COLD SNAP HAVE A NICE DAY STAY WARM
6:55 a.m. Delta Junction Alaska. Along the banks of clearwater lake.
-9.4 degrees
And getting warmer
OH MY GOSH! I'VE ALREADY BEEN OUTSIDE THIS MORNING! FEELS LIKE HAWAII OUTSIDE!!.... well... maybe not quite. BUT DANG NEAR GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!
-32 here. But the moon has a warm looking haze over it, and it feels pretty good out there.
DenaliGuy, looks like I'll be down there this weekend...
i love warm snaps in winter :)
better take all this warm weather while we can ;)
-10 when I went to bed last night and -2 this morning off of Chena Hot Springs Rd.
yea watch it warm and the ice melt and the roads freeze up at night and the traffic accidents abound. Before everyone gets excited, remember Feb and March can be some of the coldest months yet. How many of you people are new comers if you have not experienced these temperatures and cold spells. Get use to it. This is what winter in the interior can be like. As far as summer, remember one year where it rained for 68 days in a row and saw rain and snow mix on the Fourth of July. You'll soon learn, the weather is one thing you never know in Fairbanks area.
Happy Days are here again! Time to clean up the yard...dogs sure are going to be love being able to go for walks again.
As others have mentioned, the roads are going to suck.
Can't have our cake and eat it, too.
MrsS
Who do we blame for the cold snap, Palin or Obama?
Who do we credit for the warm-up, Palin or Obama?
Our water stopped/froze after 7 days of 40 below or colder. This morning, as I got ready to walk out the door, I heard the blessed sound of the toilet filling!!!!!!!!!!!!! No burst pipes as far as I could tell. Have to check the well house when I get home from work.
*Happy dance for the joy of running water again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
I take the slick roads over the cold any time.
Who do we credit for the warm-up, Palin or Obama?
Al Gore get's all the credit for the warming doesn't he?
Oh Geez FreeDarfur..bahumbug to you..dont rain on there parade!Yes Interior Alaska can stink,been here all my life.But hmm hasnt been that nasty in along time for that long.Dont be such a grouch! put a smile on your face and do the Happy happy warm weather dance with everyone else! Drive safely everyone and enjoy the warmer temps=)
Dirk: Great first post.
Even though I never tailgate, you sometimes will catch me cussing at the erratically driven vehicle with studded tires in from of me.
Well, anyways, my bets are on the weather man just wanting a pay raise.
IUR, I think we have the freakyest (is that a word?) weather on Earth! Yikes!! What about the September snow storm that left the trees growing sideways...and a lot of us grateful for our outhouse and woodstove? In less than 24 hours it can go from -40 to +40..or in the reverse. And I can laugh about it now, but that sudden thundershower turned hail storm that had me herding frightened chickens was just plain weird.
Predictable? If it was I wouldn't carry all that survival gear all year long.
AKLady...yeah, my bathroom water works again, too!
Life is all about the little things.
MrsS
Went from -45 last night to -18 here now at 10:08 a.m. Yippee!!! Gonna blow the gel out from the fuel line and use what's in the tank again!
Whoooooopie! Ahh, Home Sweet Home.
IT IS SOOOO NICE OUT THERE!!! I walk to and from work every morning and have been miserable for the past two weeks. This morning was nice.
YIPPEEE!! It sure is nice here off Badger Road! When we woke up at about 7:30 it was -24, and now when we woke up again, it is -15.9!! The cold snap is OVER!!
Hey DenaliGuy, is the wind howling at your house? It is dead calm here. I know you must be as happy as the rest of us about this nice weather...take care Buddy and I am going to get down that way soon.
Regarding my earlier post:
Who do we blame for the cold snap, Palin or Obama?
Who do we credit for the warm-up, Palin or Obama?
I forgot what we are supposed to do in these situations: Blame Canada!
TAC: Bush.... on all counts
If we could have just made it 9 more days, we could have had the record. Dang the luck!
Frank---
Out of regard for your good sense, I'm assuming that you had a good coat on the seat next to you.
So... I assume that this is like the end of all of those extreme disaster films, whether they be about earthquakes, fires, meteors, martian invasions, etc., ad infinitum, where all of the middle-class folks and heros alike come out of their homes, caves, hiding places, etc., and slowly scan the sky, hugging one another, sighing in relief?? Is that it??!!
Well, I, for one, am going back indoors for another month... Bah!! Humbug!!
I just seen a woman out in a bikini
Roads are goin' bad already. Had a 45dg temp swing in 8 hours last night out our way.
Take a few minutes to do visual inspections on your rigs folks; this is when seals fail too.
--
6:30 pm Monday 1/12
-1 near 16 mile CHSR.
*(&^^(_ flying bug of some kind thawed out!
Time to fire of the bug whacker!
The latest national weather service forecast is calling for possible freezing rain in the hills by Wed. I wish it would only warm up to 10 below-10 above, this 30 degree crap they're forecasting can be worse than -40 if it's accompanied by rain.
Flip plops and tank tops, woo hoo!!
Dirk, regarding your 1:49 pm posting, it sounds like you did come out of your hovel briefly. I'm just wondering, did you happen to see your shadow?
Only briefly. It was cloudy. I went to town and bought makings for akprincess72's outrageously rich potato and corn soup/chowder recipe she'd sent to me, picked up my truck from the shop, and returned home, stopping to buy a discounted six-pack of a Pike's Brewery version of what tastes a bit similar to a more subtle, yet spicy, IPA (with what might well be cascade hops) and then back into my hole for another 30 days..
I'm coming out sometime around the equinox for sure, but not certain what I'll do the middle of February when I pop my head out..
I know that I have to be in the Yukon Territory by the end of March, so I guess that I'll just have to overcome my agoraphobia by then.. Bright sunlight on the ice that time of year, and all.. But the 42" lake trout and home-made moose pasties will be calling out loudly to me, beckoning me to that neck of the woods, so I'll likely have limited desire or abliity to resist.
Snuffy, no wind in the foothills...yet. -10 best I got today, and a light dust of snow. Im reading on NOAA I may lose my roof tomorrow!
http://pafg.arh.noaa.gov/wmofcst.php?wmo...
Corinne, give me a call if you get down this way.
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