Spring temperatures bring rain to the base in Girdwood

The blue bird spring days of this week have faded into grey rainy days here in Girdwood. The temperature this morning at the T is 34° with rain. Snow if falling at the top of chair 6, some consolation for those top of the mountain riders who have been experience tracked out snow. It appears Glacier Valley and western Prince William Sound will continue to leap into spring with rain and snow mixing for the next couple of days. Backcountry excursions may be a nice side trip this weekend. 

This weekend, March 8 and 9 is the Alaska Botanical Garden Spring Conference. The opening meeting and dinner is Friday night at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel. Gary Paul Nabhan will be speaking, his topic "Traditional Foods at Risk in Salmon Nations: Threatened Wild and Cultivated Plants." I am sure he will probably have his book by the same name available for sale. Mr. Nabhan is a world-reknown author and food activist. His teachings should be welcomed as appropriate to a region such as Alaska that is poised for potential over harvest. Alaska and has also experienced and could experience future environmental catastrophes. However, by learning from other regions' experiences and understanding the interconnections of environmental processes, we can plan wisely for our future food sustainability in Alaska. I look forward to learning from Mr. Nabhan's experience. 

Sunday March 10 is spring forward day, remember to adjust your clocks before heading to sleep Saturday. 

If you are venturing to Girdwood today or tomorrow, wear your rain slicker!

Alert, full-on rain with high winds

For those of you skiers and riders who did not make it to Girdwood on Thursday or Friday, I am so sad for you. You missed some great powder days because today it is pouring rain and quite windy. The temperature is 35° and the water is flowing in the streets again. Driveways and parking lots will turn to ice once more so keep your cleats handy.

My husband drove to the Valley from Girdwood this morning, he said it was incredibly windy along Turnagain Arm on the Seward Highway, so be cautioned large vehicles.

Rain. Again.

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

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! 

From too cold to too warm, snow is slosh

It is utterly amazing how quick the air has warmed up. We have been in a deep-freeze, temperatures in single digits for a month. Yet in one day a weather system rides up here from the south and raises the temperature to 31° this morning. 

One would have thought everything would have taken weeks to thaw, but no. The snow and ice are falling off the trees and roof lines are dripping. At 10pm the temperature was 33°. The resort recorded 6 inches of snow at the base. It did not snow all day as expected in Girdwood, rather it started raining in the afternoon. Sad. At least it did not rain for long. The forecast still entails snow, but at this temperature, I don’t know. 

There was a major wreck at mile 91 of the Seward this evening. Please drive slow, just because you have a big SUV or 4-wheel drive does not mean you can drive normal highway speeds on a snow covered, wet, winding road. 

This photo shows what the conditions were today and at the time the accident happened. The snow had turned to rain around 3pm. With the warmer temperatures, the snow had started to become slushy.