Snow returns to Glacier Valley

I awoke to the silence, an alarming surprise

and a glorious sight to my weary eyes

The snow piled up, nearly twelve inches high

The air was filled with tiny white flakes

Soon they would turn to large puffy shapes

Earth and trees I knew would rejoice

And skiers alike will think the day choice! 

If you can ditch work, today is the first best powder day to do so. Not that there hasn’t been fresh snow this season, but this is a decent layer of the good fluff. It is Wednesday, Alyeska is open until 6, but make plans for Thursday when night skiing runs until 9 pm. 

The temperature is holding at 30° thank goodness. The eaves have stopped dripping. And suddenly today there is a blizzard warning for Western Prince William Sound. The estimate was 3 to 6 inches of snow, but Girdwood has received at least 9 inches at the T. Yipee!

Bird Notice:
Yesterday while in Anchorage, I observed some Common Redpolls visiting bird feeders. Redpolls are small finch size songbirds that spend their winter in our range. Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with an image. If you are interested in attracting birds, or helping them obtain food during the winter months, putting out a feeder is a simple way to do so. You can even just set out a tray of seed, a fancy feeder is not necessary. The benefit of the feeder is in keeping larger birds from eating all the seed quicker than smaller birds. Feeders have varying sizes of dispensing holes and perches. It is really hard for a magpie to get seed out of a thistle feeder. Speaking of magpies, they have been very active in Girdwood lately. Be aware of placement of your feeder as it will attract moose. Bird feeders also attract bears, as a result many folks remove and store their feeders in the summer. 

Melting snow freezes up again -and- the sun is just around the bend!

We all long for the sun, and we say it every winter, and we know what winter is like here in Girdwood. After so many days of grey, and rain, and warming trends, Glacier Valley is truly feeling like its lost in the clouds. I hear from folks that come to Girdwood from Anchorage that it is colder there, and a little more sun shines in the bigger city. Today, I drove to Anchorage just as the sun was rising. There was a little bit of cloud cover, but not too dense. After completing my few first missions in the big city, wow, there was the big sun! Bright sun and blue sky with a few little whispy clouds. It is typical mid winter, nice crisp air, snow still on the ground. And the weather is not too untypical, except for the lack of snow in Girdwood. But once I stepped into that bright sun light, my skin warmed, and the synapses fired to remind me what I had been missing for nearly a month. 

It never ceases to amaze me that around just a few bends, usually not even an hour away, the weather can swing one-hundred and eighty-degrees! That is one aspect of what makes this state, this geography so intriguing. The mountains divide space up so well, creating their own environments. Of course Anchorage receives so much more sun that Girdwood because the larger city is open to the south and west. Girdwood, on the other hand, is snuggled up to Mt. Alyeska and Max’s Mountain which block most of the winter sun. Old Girdwood is quite a sunny spot year around due to its openness out to the water. That proximity to the water lent it to the beautiful frost coverage earlier in the winter. 

For now, all of Girdwood will remain just below freezing. All the running water had frozen over this morning and remained so all day. Driveways, parking lots and sidewalks are thick ice. Remember to wear your ice cleats. According to the forecasts, it looks like there might be a day or two of warm air again this week. There are still ice falls along the Seward Highway. The ice falls have been evaporating as the winter has gone on due to the wind and warmer temperatures. If you concentrate, you can see a hint of peach from the sunset on the face of this ice fall. 

Not everyone has the ability to run into Anchorage regularly. So for now, enjoy this sunset and know there is more to come, just around the bend. 

Rain mixed with little snow today, cold air in tonight

Ditto from yesterday, grey, slippery walkways and driveways, and a little rain. There was a glimmer of hope this afternoon around 1 pm, skiers reported the skies attempted to snow. For a brief moment, the rain relented. Shortly thereafter, all precipitation stopped. The skies, however, remained cloudy. There were dark looming clouds over Max’s and to the south, clouds that looked like promising snow. There is a forecast for some tonight, especially further south toward Turnagain Pass. 

The photos I have posted today are of Glacier Creek. I find it challenging to take good images with depth and color due to the constant grey skies. I have tried some special effects today. These photos have been altered with film-grain filters, lightened the contrast and tried to make them more enjoyable to view. 

Today I want to present a lesson for those of you who come to Girdwood to ski or ride and think your friend is going to teach you how. Please take a real lesson from an accredited instructor at Alyeska’s Mountain Learning Center. Today was Military Monday which is an appreciation day for military families at the Resort. Many of the service men and women that come to the slopes have never skied or ridden a snowboard and think just because they are in the service they can go to the top of the mountain and make their way down. Today there were over 15 calls to ski patrol for injuries and assistance down the mountain. Broken clavicals, back injuries, head trauma, assistance down, twisted knees and more. Don’t let the medic unit be your ride back into town. Wether you are in the service or not, learn to ski and ride properly before you head for the high ground. 

Still grey in Girdwood, Be aware of conditions around important trees

Grey and white, grey and white, grey in the sky, white mid-way down the mountain, grey on the ground. Above is a photo of Max’s Mountain. In the center of the photo you can see slide debris from an avalanche triggered this morning by the Alyeska Snow Safety crew. The tops of the mountains received 9 inches of snow Saturday night. If you have been wondering why the HIgh Traverse has not been open, this is one reason. The same area seen in the photo above that slid, has done so earlier in the season on its own. Be patient, let Snow Safety keep the trails safe for everyone to enjoy.

Due to the fresh snow every night for the past few nights, the mountain tops continue to be bathed in glorious white light. Conditions were wonderful for more experienced skiers who chose to ride chair 4 and chair 6. As for the rest of us, we were down in the grey. The grey of rain and drizzle, the grey of melting water running down the roads toward Glacier Creek, and the grey of gravel coated ice making it safe to walk on the ice. Below is a photo of Max’s from Saturday the 2nd of February. Except for the avalanche, you will notice there is no difference in the weather. The temperature continues to hover around 35°. 

Below is an environmental issue anyone who planted trees last year should be concerned about. Frankly, any of us with trees on our properties in the Glacier Valley or western Prince William Sound should be aware of the bases of our trees this winter. With all the days of warm temperatures and melting snow, many bases of trees have been exposed. I have mentioned this before and cautioned:  if the soil remains exposed, the roots could be subject to freezing air when the temperature drops. Of course we are all hoping now that one of our snowiest months is here, February, the soil will be blanketed again protecting the health of our trees.

There is another poor condition I have seen as well, smaller trees that did have snow build up around them, now have pools of water at their bases. The snow had melted and then the surface froze creating a little bowl at the base of the trees. With the continuous rain, these bowls have filled up with water.  If these trees sit with their bases in water too long, there is the potential the tree will drown. If you have a bowl of water at the base of your tree, get a shovel or ice chipper out and break the wall of the bowl so the water can drain away. 

Here is a link to BioScience, published by the University of California Press, this link is on the University of Alaska Fairbanks website. The first article is a research paper discussing how climate change will affect yellow cedar in the Pacific Northwest. The research article includes important information we in the rainforest area of Alaska should be aware of. 

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