Expect at least three more wet days in Girdwood

This morning it is 35° and drizzly rain yet again. My coworkers that drive in from Anchorage tell me its cooler and drier there, so be prepared for wet roads when you round the bend on Turnagain Arm. Our forecast is for this same warm weather at least through Wednesday. Who can believe this low pressure is hovering for so long?

For those who love fresh snow, there is some, 11 inches worth, at the top of Alyeska. The resort opened chair 6 yesterday and it will be open again today. Check the snow report for the most accurate information. Winds are very light so there should be no stopping the lifts. The poor aerial tram, however, is going to be closed for a long while. These tram cars are made in Switzerland so that should give you an indication that they and their parts are not items you just go to town to buy. Just a warning to expect a wait for Alyeska to have repair the tram that suffered an accident in high winds.

The skies really tried to give us snow today. The precipitation was back and forth, rain, snow, rain, and at one point big fat flakes. Sadly, they turned to liquid upon landing in the puddles all over the base of the mountain and in the parking lots. The temperature this evening is still 35°. The snow is trying to stick, here we can see the snow piled up from the driveway that was melting and turning to ice. It has a nice layer of snow settled on top. Reports from the active ones, it was like spring skiing today.

Icy roads and driveways in the Glacier Valley

Don’t be fooled by this image which includes blue sky. It lasted a mere ten minutes. I so hoped the parting clouds would allow the warm air to escape to the upper atmosphere and cool us down, but alas, the clouds closed back in. It was 38° for most of the day in Girdwood making for rain and puddles everywhere. The DOT has been hard at work with the graders trying to get the ice off Alyeska Highway. However, everyone’s driveways are ice rinks. It is very slippery entering business parking lots. 

Tonight, Saturday, there are high wind advisories and more rain in the forecast. The wind is expected to be strong through Sunday, take care driving large vehicles on the Seward Highway. The temperature is expected to stay warm through the new year so we are not anticipating snow at the base of the mountain anytime in the near future.

One thing is for sure for New Year’s celebrants, there will not be a fire danger in Glacier Valley! 

The frost is so glittery, and the sun so bright in December

I think last night has been the coldest so far, yet only -2° is acceptable when you consider the interior recently posted -50°. It is also ok considering we still are lucky to have no wind in Glacier Valley. I heard a couple of private planes go out for a flight see. This morning it is still -2° and we anticipate about +5 today. Again a reminder for those relying on your iphone weather apps–it is not accurate! Yes it is cold but not as cold as the app says. One day I will email whoever that is and tell them to use another station location. 

The drive into Anchorage today, at about 1pm, was spectacular once again. I hope I am not the only one that notices every time I drive the Seward the experience is different, not just the traffic, but the light and colors. Today there were patches of clouds and bright sunlight between. The sun was lighting up all the ice crystals on the trees, rocks, and even the road. It was like driving through a crystal tunnel! Notice I said even on the road there were ice crystals. This is a point to say that even though the road looks clear and we have not had precipitation in about two weeks, there is still ice on the road creating slick conditions. Take care when driving, passing, and rounding bends. Here is a close-up of the frost crystals with light on them so the sparkle effect is visible. Imagine this over and over glittering along the road side.

On the drive home, at 9:30 pm, there were patches of light clouds separated by views of the stars. Again on the drive home, the frost crystals were lit up by headlights. At night, though, it felt like driving through a glitter tunnel, disco night! The slight chance of snow proved true at Bird Point. At Bird there were light flurries of what I consider ice snow. The precipitation was glittery in the headlights too, not dull white like snow would be, but shiny. It was, after all, -2°. The snow was gone before Girdwood but the snowmaking machines on the mountain created an ice fog around itself. When there is ice fog, the spotlights create horizontal light rays, this was evident in oncoming headlights on the Seward. Another reason I felt the snow was more ice.