Luscious fog sneaks into town this evening

It was a dark and foggy eve. People, cars and dogs were all surrounded by chowder, I thought I was going to need a headlamp to find my way walking home. The fog crept into the valley just over Glacier Creek like a snake slinking up on a rodent. Quiet, spooky and thickening by the minute! 

I have seen some thick fog having lived along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Fog in the southern U.S. is dense, ugly, and dangerous to drive in. However, this fog in Girdwood today was some dramatic, moisture laden, creepy blanket hanging over town. Of course having bright white snow capped mountains glowing in the atmosphere above the fog lent a depth to the emotion of the moment. Top is a view from the post office in Girdwood. Above is looking across Glacier Creek toward Alyeska. Look at the photo below and see how the fog starts to thin as I move away from the creek.

Seeing the white faintly glowing through the fog, I knew the sun was shining on those mountains indicating the town was covered by ground fog due to air being cooler above. Below is looking toward Alyeska, the white lights are on the ski slopes.

And cooler above it will stay, since the weather forecast is for the rain to continue through the weekend here in Girdwood. There is snow falling in the higher elevations for those that go to the tops of the mountains to ski. But the melting snow on my roof continues to drip like a metronome splashing us to sleep. 

When you visit Girdwood this weekend, plan to stop in at the Girdwood Center for the Visual Arts. There is a multi-media show opening on Saturday from 6 - 8 pm. Refreshments will be available. There is a collection of talented artists here in the valley and they all share space at the Center. Come learn that there is more to Girdwood than skiing. Find out more at their website gcvaonline.org

How are climate forecasts made and why is it warm again in Girdwood?

This is Girdwood today, overcast, grey, raining, quiet. The temperature at the T is 35°, snow is sliding off the metal roofs. Snow is sloughing off the trees that surround my house.  A magpie stopped by to rest on a bare cottonwood. Yesterday I saw a moth flying around. I imagine the magpie and other feathered creatures are happy about all the spring seasons we have had this “winter”. What is this now, the fourth spring of the 2012 - 2013 winter? From the news reports, it seems the northeast United States received winter this year as opposed to south central Alaska. Ce la vie, we had it last year. Is this another outcome of climate change? My second postulation: different regions of the country receive winter in rotating years.  

NOAA creates these three-month weather pattern predictions at the Climate Prediction Center. Currently, their projection is for warmer than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation in the south and southwestern United States. The NOAA extended climatological prediction for south central Alaska is for colder than normal temperatures. The colder temperatures could not arrive soon enough, but when? How does NOAA generate these predictions? Basically they generate statistical models. The main data is pulled from global ocean temperature data with no fluctuating adjustments. Forecasters also look at the position of the jet stream. The jet streams are affected by the Earth’s surface air temperature which is related to the ocean temperature. By looking at historical and current data of both temperature and jet stream, a climate prediction can be made. This is a basic review of a huge amount of study that goes into making climate predictions and by no means should be considered easy. 

This month, January 2013, the polar jet stream is at a higher latitude over Alaska because the stream is being pushed up by warm air and temperatures from the tropics. In the lower 48 United States, the polar jet stream is making a long dive south in the midwest bringing cold air to that region and the south. This link goes to a great website at San Francisco State University with maps of the jet stream.

Humans may heavily influence the weather by various means of altering environments or emitting concentrated amounts of gasses into the atmosphere. But I doubt humans will be able to fully control the climate of the Earth. The only place right now where you can control your environment is inside your home. This is where the joy of caring for and growing house plants comes in handy. You can turn lights on and off for your plants, and you provide the water and nutrients for your plants. Actually, this seems like a good outlet for Type A personalities that need to control events. So, while the ever changing outside weather is tempting and reminding us not to plant out there yet, go buy another plant to bring some green into your house!

Nice powder snow in the valley today

The bitter cold broke the spell of the warm rain, and now the snow has briefly broken the spell of the bitter cold. Briefly. Last night Girdwood received 3 inches of snow, powdery, white, fluffy snow! Not wet, not mixed with rain. It was a lovely sight out the windows this morning. 

I had to drive into Anchorage and it was a blustery Tuesday along the Turnagain Arm. No white-out, not much snow falling at all. However, snow was blowing all over the highway. There were snow dunes on the shoulder along Potter Marsh, pretty. 

Though the weather forecast was for temperatures to rise, expected when there is cloud cover, the temperature stayed around 10° in the city. Upon return to Glacier Valley this afternoon, I came into a temperature of 25°, much more pleasant that the recent single digits. We could still use some more snow. Below is a picture of my favorite snow gauge, the picnic table at the Girdwood Fire Department. The photo with the bluer sky was taken in November. Since then we have had three warm spells when the snow has melted. There have been three small snow showers since, including last night. Notice the picnic table looks about the same as in November. By this time of year, the table is usually a snow mound. The lack of snow is a bit disconcerting. Not only for weather watchers and those concerned with the environment, but for the Resort and their ski mountain as well. I hope we will be blessed with our usual February dump of snow starting this weekend!

 January 29, 2013

November 17, 2012

Beautiful light in the valley filled with frigid air

The light is always stunning when the skies are clear blue. However, with temperatures in the single digits-both positive and negative, the air can be quite biting. Most runs are groomed at Alyeska, but off trail with little fresh snow, the surface is icy.

I don't think temperatures were above 10° today and they may be slightly negative under another gorgeous moon. Expect the same on Monday before snow returns Tuesday or Wednesday. The roads are fairly clear in Girdwood, however parking lots and driveways remain icy. Cleats are highly recommended. Here's the headwall with a little alpenglow coming on....

Bright full moon lights up Glacier Valley

Feels like we are done with spring-fall and now into winter for a few days in Girdwood. It snowed about 2 inches this morning as the wind blew and temperature fell. It was 23 most of the day, dropping to 18° by nightfall. I expect with the sky so clear we could see this beautiful full moon tonight, the temperatures will drop even lower. I am sure you get the imagery, the moon is atop the ski runs at Alyeska so it looks like the mountain is a christmas tree!

It was so windy this morning as the temperature was falling, the icicles that were freezing up are all sideways. Its hilarious! The part that is not so hilarious, the ground that became exposed this week with all the snow melt only received two inches of new snow as a blanket. Not nearly enough to protect delicate roots if you have new trees. This deep cold is forecasted to last through Wednesday when we should receive some more snow.

As for now, be careful walking around in Glacier Valley. Just under the thin layer of snow is ice, not only smooth in parking lots, but uneven in walkways and off to the sides of driveways. Don't twist an ankle! Its like walking on rocks.

Its the third spring in Glacier Valley this season!

We are well into our third spring here in Glacier City this week. The Girdwood Board of Supervisors have been told that the roads crew has used more gravel on the roads so far this season than all of last winter. It is raining today and it has been 38° all day. There were small patches of blue sky today, but no full clearing and no real wind, a few slight breezes. Our driveway is an ice rink, but the main Alyeska Highway is clear of all ice and snow. There has been snow above 100 ft elevation, so the upper mountain at Alyeska has been nice, however, it is sticky at the base. Great conditions for beginners to learn!

I’d like to share a house plant tip for those keeping their lives green indoors. Here is a beautiful example of a narrow-leaved variety of Sansevieria in bloom. How many times are we given a gift of the broad leaf Sansevieria trifasciata (mother-in-law’s tongue) and not ever even known that it blooms? Sansevieria make great house plants, they require little water and moderate light most of the year.  Additionally, Sansevieria help clean air inside a dwelling (as do most plants).

This family of plants requires little water because its leaves are coated with a cuticle. This “waxy” covering keeps the plant from losing moisture too quickly. These plants are from the tropics and hotter environments where they may go for long periods of time without rain. Consequently, they have adapted so well in Australia they are now considered a noxious weed. 

Moderate light must be qualified here since we have low light in the winter. Most of our house plants need to be moved close to a window in the winter, the closer the better and a southern exposure window is best. Sansevieria pictured here was in a northern exposure window but in a building with lights on over 12 hours per day. Look at this gorgeous bloom, obviously it is happy with its location. The temperature of the building also helped, it stays warmer than the average home in this location. 

A nice bonus of this plant is it is easy to divide and share. The off-shoots can be rooted in water then planted. Or, the plant can be divided when transplanting into larger pots or when replacing the potting soil. A great beginning house plant to try for yourself!

Same warm air, same melting snow in Girdwood

Flat light, flowing water, melting ice. Drip, drip rapid drip off the roofs.