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

No danger of snow melt in the near future

It is quite cold this morning, 19° so there is no threat of the fresh snow melting. Girdwood is under a low blanket of fog this morning. If you look at the weather cam from the top of Mt. Alyeska you will see that there is bright sun above the Tram (CNFAIC scroll down to map and hover mouse over arrows, great views from Seattle Ridge and Sunrise). Sun is in our forecast for the next couple of days with frigid temperatures returning. Dress warm for skiing this weekend!

Warm air creates crunchy snow surface

The temperature is steady at 33° this morning. Girdwood is experiencing light flurries that cannot decide if they want to be snow or rain. The snow has formed a crust on top due to the warmer air last night. I hear that skiing at the base is not so fun because of that. The light precipitation is accompanied by a fog bank. Above it is visible from the T looking toward downtown Girdwood.

Last night I shoveled most of my driveway (most because its a big drive with room for about 6 cars to park in) It was so warm I had to remove a couple of layers! This morning when I walked on the remaining snow, I could feel the crunch of breaking the top layer. The photo below kind of shows how warm its been. With the snow falling off the trees, the needles are shedding with it. Crunch crunch crunch....

Here is a shot at the base of the Daylodge. The fog clearly obscuring Max’s and the headwall. Our forecast is for the snow to taper off tonight and for clear skies tomorrow. Looks like the snow should return on Wednesday. Remember to check the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center for the most accurate weather.

HIgh pressure keeping blue skies in sight

The massive high pressure system of Alaska has brought us day 10 of frost and clear skies. Be mindful I said clear skies–meaning high altitude–because we now apparently are under an inversion. The weather cams from the CNFAIC website links are showing dazzling images from the mountain tops in the Chugach. However, in spots down low, we are under a layer of fog. The temperatures are up to 30° warmer on the mountain tops than at sea level. The image above is looking toward Penguin Ridge, you can see how the mountain weather cams could be spectacular.

This fog has made for some interesting images and weird environmental sensations in Girdwood and along the Turnagain Arm. Though the top photo gives no indication of fog, the one just above is a view down Alyeska Highway toward the Seward Highway. Without fog, the normal view would be the water and a waterfall or snow slide on the opposite side of the Arm down Mount Alpenglow. As is seen here today, that is not the case. 

After turning onto the Seward Highway, by Toadstool Lane (the turn off for the rail road), the fog was so thick there was no visibility. Usually the fog is a bit higher and we are able to see the ground, today the fog was heavy in spots sitting on the ground. The photo above demonstrates it was so thick, the camera could hardly focus on the marsh plants covered in frost. Spooky! 

Although the fog was so thick you could not see 10 yards ahead, it was thin in altitude. In this photo, look at the upper right and the mountain top is visible obviously receiving sunlight. Interesting. The trees are coated with frost and in the fog they have a grey cast to them, not bright white so I know it is not snow. 

Further along, near Bird, the fog layers split apart and moved around presenting a dreamy image of the Seward Highway. And again, notice the fog is not deep vertically. Here is a link to a NOAA page that defines different types of fog. there are some great photos too (the top of the page reads Jackson, KS but the fog descriptions are general).

No snow in the forecast through this Sunday....I don’t see how any insects could winter over this year with such a thin layer of snow, the ground cannot be that warm for them to hide in leaf litter?

It was a strangely foggy day today. It was hard to tell if the snow falling was natural or combining with the mountain snow production to create our own little vortex of snow on the south side of Girdwood. Since the snow making machines have been going so long, they may be creating their own ecosystem. Above is a view of Max’s. If you concentrate you can see the sun lighting up the snow on top. 

I hope everyone had a bountiful and hearty Thanksgiving. There were not many skiers out today, I don’t blame them, I am waiting for more fluff. Sticking to the nordic trails for now. Here is a look down Alyeska Highway from the T, you can see what I mean about the questionable snow - fog. Again, if you look carefully, you can see the sun shining on the top of Penguin Ridge in the center right.

Here is another photo by my husband and his Blackberry, amazing view. You can see how frustrating it can be sitting under the fog when I know this is the scene above. This is some serious flight seeing weather! Those visiting should forget shopping tomorrow and take a helicopter ride. 

Damp Air

Ragged top is visible today, this morning anyway. It can just be seen in this 8:30 am photo. The fog has lifted leaving small crystals tightly knit to the surface snow. On checking the weather cams, there are high clouds today and indeed the forecast is for snow tonight and 100% chance of snow tomorrow. Max’s is seen below, sun blowing out the white in the cloud over the mountains. 

Last night there was a good aurora forecast, I wonder if anyone saw it in south central?

I walked up to the Daylodge just after 1pm. The moisture in the air was overwhelming, the dampness chilling my insides as quick as the out. It is interesting that the moisture particles can be so spread apart and remain suspended, it really is so damp there should be droplets forming. Its 30° and relative humidity is 95%.

The surface snow is crispy from the morning’s frost. The snow in the roadway intersections is brown and slushy. Walking is precarious without fresh layers of snow, small steps or cleats are advised. Walking on the trail is easier, there is always an edge to grip your feet in the snow. 

The Resort still has the snow cannons off, it concerns me for about 2 seconds before I decide not to care, its not my business. This view up Glacier Creek toward Raven Glacier shows what I think is a lack of nice snow, but it is only November. 

Thursday the 15th at 7pm there is a presentation at the Glacier Ranger Station in Girdwood: Mountain Weather and Snowpack. Anyone planning on skiing back country is advised to attend.

The temperature holds at 31° into the night.

Upward past the Fog

We woke this morning to clear skies, really, I swear! Its always nice to see the clear sky because I know when it is foggy, it just foggy over us! I know this as a fact after days of viewing the top of Alyeska weather cam, its sunny above about 500 feet. That reality gets really frustrating, often. Wish I had a picture of the sun, anyway, here’s the fog first toward “downtown”, second is lack of view of Max’s. Look carefully at the first photo, you can see the blue hiding behind the cloud.

Also at 8:30 am it was 32° I know it did not freeze last night because my husband and I could hear water dripping from one roof to the eave over our door. One slow drip at a time. Yet by time I snapped the fog, the temperature had dropped to 29° as evidenced by the ice on the tree twigs now as opposed to clear water. That phenomenon is not unusual, commonly the coldest part of the day is just before sunrise almost everywhere, especially valleys. With the fog over us now, I expect the temperature to remain steady. 

A walk down to the Grind and the Merch is an exercise not only literally but in frustration. At 3pm I snapped this photo of the mountains trying to work with the sun to bust out of the fog. 

The snow is quite crunchy on top from the brief freeze this morning. For those driving in, the road is really clear since the DOT scraped several times yesterday. If you are keeping up with the ski slope status, the snow makers have been off for the past couple of days. I guess since it was sleeting Friday and just above freezing on Saturday. I will not attempt to cover the resort’s status as you can check it on their website. Additionally, don’t forget the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information website. Scroll down to the terrain map and hover your mouse over the red arrows. There are some fabulous weather cams around the area. 

Signing off at 5pm, temperature foggy and 31°