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Offline Scalphunter

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Coldest so far in the state -59
« on: January 19, 2017, 05:45:41 PM »
Article  from the News-Miner




ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Cynthia Erickson woke up early, hoping her four furnaces were working.


She owns a grocery store and the building that houses the post office in the village of Tanana, Alaska, which ranked as the coldest place in the state Wednesday. The official temperature at the airport with a single gravel runway was minus 54 degrees. Nearby, along the Yukon River, it was 5 degrees colder.


"Fifty-nine below on Front Street in Tanana, Alaska," she said, laughing. "It's just miserable. I hate everybody who lives in a warm place."


A cold snap gripping interior Alaska is bothering even longtime residents such as Erickson. She didn't see a customer until 25 minutes after she opened her store, where the furnace was operating despite the cold.


"I'm good because I watch the temperatures and prepare in advance," she said. "Last week I got my stock in. I'm good. I'm not a last-minuter. Living your whole life in Alaska for 53 years, you've got to think ahead."


Planes were not flying in the village 130 miles west of Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city. The cold also kept cars off the road, Erickson said. People instead were walking, bundled up like the little brother in the movie "A Christmas Story."


She's hoping for a break in the weather - perhaps a balmy minus 20. Temperatures are forecast to remain cold into Friday.


"I want to leave," she said. "My teeth are frozen to my lips."


A very cold, low-pressure trough moved into Alaska from Siberia, said Christopher Cox, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Fairbanks.


"The western Interior has been experiencing the 40s and 50s below for the last couple of days," he said. "Here in Fairbanks, we've had some clouds that protect us. The clouds parted yesterday afternoon, and the temperatures have plummeted."


Fairbanks International Airport reached minus 50 Wednesday, the first time since Jan. 29, 2012, Cox said.


The city craves clouds when it gets so cold. From November through January, Cox said, sunlight has virtually no effect on temperatures. Clouds, however, provide an insulating layer reflecting back heat generated by the Earth's crust.


"Think of it as a blanket," Cox said. "If you have no clouds, there's nothing to stop that radiation from escaping to outer space."



Last winter, the low in Fairbanks never reached minus 30, but that's not typical. Fairbanks averages 11 to 12 days of temperatures that reach 40 below zero or colder, Cox said.


Schools operated as usual. Children enjoy recess outside until it hits minus 20, according to Fairbanks school district policy.


"If it's 19 below, they go out," Lori Kunz, school secretary at Denali Elementary. Attendance dropped Wednesday, when recess inside was the plan, Kunz said.


The extreme cold takes a toll on cars and water pipes. Tires flatten on the bottom, leading to a bumpy ride until they snap back into shape. Changing a tire, and spinning a metal lug nut, can frostbite a bare finger. If a furnace fails, water pipes can freeze and then burst when they're thawed.


In Tanana, Erickson said, propane gelled in the cold, making cooking stoves impossible to use. People were shopping at her grocery store for items they could cook on woodstoves. But most people had water because of heating cable or tape on water lines, she said.


Tanana also has been blessed with abundant snow.


"That really helps with the insulation," Erickson said. "Everybody banks their houses. It helps with pipes, water lines and fuel lines."


The mental wear and tear may be the worst part. Erickson said she had to look at summer pictures of boats, blueberries and kids swimming to help her make it through the day.


"The only good thing about this is when you're 53 years old and you get hot flashes, you stay warm," she said.

 

 

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Offline Jáchym

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2017, 06:03:04 PM »
So John :D Looking at your WU sticker, T-shirt ready? :D

Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2017, 06:06:10 PM »
yes going fuel tractor with just an vest on. Suppose drop to mid -30's tonight. was -40 at sunrise.

Offline Jáchym

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2017, 06:17:34 PM »
Still 25 degrees warmer than in Yukon :D

Offline ocala

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2017, 07:37:26 PM »
yes going fuel tractor with just an vest on. Suppose drop to mid -30's tonight. was -40 at sunrise.
Just a vest?
Wimp. Hell that's T shirt weather.
 :-P :grin:
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2017, 08:00:35 PM »
Wind chill make it  little colder.  Got cold enogh the diesel started gelling even with additive to  prevent that. Heat lamp on filter took care of that.

Offline Jáchym

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2017, 08:09:23 PM »
We just got down to 10F few minutes ago, it is 2AM, so it is likely to be going down for another approximately 5-6h

Also the pressure is quite high now (1036.3 hPa / 30.6 inHg)
« Last Edit: January 19, 2017, 08:18:02 PM by Jáchym »

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2017, 08:28:54 AM »
So what made this winter different from others recently? Ocean currents not pushing warm air into our northern latitudes while allowing pack ice to redevelop across the region building very cold domes of arctic high pressure.
Did man do this or have any say in how the ocean currents moved? Not likely its just mother nature doing its thing.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2017, 07:46:09 PM by ValentineWeather »
Randy

Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2017, 07:07:43 PM »
I see 3 things  in play here. La nina, PDO and the AO .  The AO and PDO can affect areas well away from the Artic  region. Some of the  big storm  in the 37-45 deg lat region have  been traced back to what the AO is doing.

John

Offline Mattk

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2017, 07:29:56 PM »
So no Global Warming in Alaska then  :lol:

Offline Jáchym

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2017, 07:30:55 PM »
Global warming and its effects dont necessarily mean just warming up everywhere, Im sure you know that

Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2017, 09:17:16 PM »
Or cooling off. The part of Alaska I am in now  was not ice covered during the Ice Age. The glacial ice was confind to the coastal area. Larger herds of Bison and mammoth roamed thru this area.  I ben in an warehouse that  old mining company here  owns and is part of an Yuba dredge display  just  full on bones that were dredge up during the gold mining here in the Fairbanks  area.  It just one of many  around the area and even today  you can find them out mucking in the area.

John


Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2017, 10:18:23 PM »
And the Vikings settled parts of Greenland and had free sailing into the Arctic (historical fact) these areas are now frozen solid year round. The climate keeps changing for sure and rapidly when you think in 100 year spans.  My thinking most influence is our oceans or ocean currents. With 71% of earth covered by oceans whether frozen or liquid state, what happens here dominates our climate.
Randy

Offline Jstx

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2017, 11:14:04 PM »
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (weather, but going into the climate), McAllen, TX had a 96F high, most other South Texas locations were 80's to 95F @BRO (assuming these are US highs).
A differential of 155 degrees F.
Tomorrow we have "Red Flag Warnings" all over due to the elevated temps, low humidities, and fairly high winds expected.
Given the mostly dry vegetative brush everywhere, we'll probably have an outbreak of brushfires (since the d*mned fools never learn that one can start something 'inadvertently' that one can't control...). I watched one wildfire burn unchecked for ~2 weeks once, on the King Ranch years ago. Just few years ago the Lost Pines forest near Bastrop was almost wiped out, along with many other serious wildfires. And they usually start with a human ciggie or firework of some kind, plus some from lightning of course.

Jáchym, I read your comment about "insurance" earlier, especially with such a big planetary gamble. I've tried the same line of logic: nada, zip, zilch & crickets...

http://w2.weather.gov/climate/getclimate.php?wfo=bro

"These data are preliminary and have not undergone final quality control by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Therefore, these data are subject to revision. Final and certified climate data can be accessed at the NCDC - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov.

221
ASUS64 KLUB 220043
RTPTX
TEXAS TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TABLE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
643 PM CST SAT JAN 21 2017

DATA THROUGH 6PM CST
HIGHEST LAST 18 HOURS. LOWEST LAST 18 HOURS...12AM TO 6PM CST
PRECIP LAST 24 HOURS...ENDING AT 6 PM CST

.BR LUB 0121 C DH18/TAIRZS/TAIRZI/PPDRZZ
:
:ID   LOCATION                 HIGH  LOW    PCPN
:                                           24HR
:
:...NORTH TEXAS...
ABI  :Abilene ASOS          :   69 / 43 /     0
GKY  :Arlington             :   71 / 42 /   0.03
CRS  :Corsicana             :   71 / 62 /     0
DAL  :Dallas Love Field     :   72 / 49 /   0.15
DFW  :DFW Airport           :   73 / 48 /   0.02
DTO  :Denton                :   72 / 39 /     T
AFW  :Fort Worth Alliance   :   74 / 46 /   0.22
FTW  :Fort Worth Meacham    :   74 / 46 /     T
GGG  :Longview              :   72 / 49 /   0.09
LFK  :Lufkin                :   72 / 53 /     T
TKI  :McKinney              :   66 / 45 /     T
MWL  :Mineral Wells         :   74 / 38 /     T
PRX  :Paris                 :   61 / 43 /     0
TPL  :Temple                :   77 / 48 /     T
TRL  :Terrell               :   67 / 45 /     T
TYR  :Tyler                 :   69 / 50 /     0
ACT  :Waco                  :   72 / 43 /   0.01
SPS  :Wichita Falls         :   71 / 41 /     T
:...WEST TEXAS...
AMA  :Amarillo              :   57 / 38 /   0.14
HHF  :Canadian Airport      :   61 / 26 /   0.05
CDS  :Childress             :   65 / 46 /     T
DHT  :Dalhart               :   56 / 32 /   0.02
6R6  :Dryden                :   79 / 46 /     0
ELP  :El Paso               :   49 / 42 /   0.29
FST  :Fort Stockton         :   66 / 47 /     T
GDP  :Guadalupe Pass        :   44 / 36 /   0.07
LBB  :Lubbock               :   62 / 41 /   0.01
MRF  :Marfa                 :   54 / 36 /   0.19
MAF  :Midland               :   63 / 46 /     0
MUST2:Muleshoe              :   57 / 29 /   0.07
ODO  :Odessa                :   62 / 46 /     T
PEQ  :Pecos                 :   58 / 40 /     0
PRS  :Presidio              :   70 / 49 /     0
SJT  :San Angelo ASOS       :   75 / 39 /     T
INK  :Wink                  :   60 / 45 /     T
:...SOUTH TEXAS...
ALI  :Alice                 :   93 / 61 /     0
ATT  :Austin Mabry          :   81 / 48 /   0.02
AUS  :Austin Bergstrom      :   84 / 43 /     T
BPT  :Beaumont              :   79 / 62 /     0
BRO  :Brownsville           :   95 / 56 /     0
BMQ  :Burnet                :   74 / 45 /     0
CLL  :College Station       :   77 / 58 /     T
CXO  :Conroe                :   76 / 56 /   0.66
CRP  :Corpus Christi        :   92 / 63 /     T
NGP  :Navy Corpus           :   83 / 63 /     0
COT  :Cotulla               :   94 / 56 /     T
DRT  :Del Rio               :   82 / 50 /     0
GLS  :Galveston             :   75 / 68 /     T
HRL  :Harlingen             :   92 / 62 /     0
HDO  :Hondo                 :   87 / 46 /     0
HOU  :Houston Hobby         :   81 / 64 /   1.11
IAH  :Houston Bush          :   78 / 63 /   0.84
UTS  :Huntsville            :   74 / 58 /   0.05
JCT  :Junction ASOS         :   75 / 40 /     0
NQI  :Kingsville            :   94 / 62 /     0
LRD  :Laredo                :   94 / 54 /     0
MFE  :McAllen               :   96 / 54 /     0
BAZ  :New Braunfels         :   84 / 49 /     0
PSX  :Palacios              :   69 / 63 /   0.12
LVJ  :Pearland              :   83 / 67 /   0.66
RKP  :Rockport              :   79 / 64 /     0
SAT  :San Antonio           :   83 / 49 /     T
SSF  :San Antonio Stinson   :   87 / 50 /     0
DWH  :Tomball               :   77 / 61 /   0.52
VCT  :Victoria              :   86 / 62 /     0
:...OTHERS...
SHV  :Shreveport            :   73 / 53 /     0
TXK  :Texarkana             :   68 / 54 /   0.02
.END

TEXAS TEMPERATURE EXTREMES:
Highest...96 at McAllen
Lowest....26 at Canadian
"





Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2017, 01:26:49 AM »
I have recorded 150 degrees plus difference  here at my cabin and all in the same year.   The record spread here is 180 degrees.

and that  difference was about 200 miles apart. 100 F @ Fort Yukon  and -80 at Prospect Creek / jim's Creek  with  minus 79




« Last Edit: January 22, 2017, 01:36:23 AM by Scalphunter »

Offline Scalphunter

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Re: Coldest so far in the state -59
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2017, 01:38:56 AM »
Tomorrow  the 23 of January will be 45  years ago that this went into the record  book.  check out at the end  the listing of temps and dates of them.



At the northern fringe of the boreal forest, in a valley silent except for the occasional rumble of a truck on the Dalton Highway, an Alaska milestone came and went on January 23, 2011.

That date was the fortieth anniversary of Alaska’s all-time cold temperature of minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded by a weather observer at Prospect Creek Camp. The camp was there to house workers building the trans-Alaska pipeline; the weather observer worked for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, who collected the data for the National Weather Service.

The high temperature at Prospect Creek Camp on Jan. 23, 1971 was minus 64 degrees. The warmest air people in Allakaket felt the next day was minus 66 degrees.  January 1971 was also the last time the temperature dipped to minus 60 degrees in Fairbanks (on the 18th), according to Rick Thoman, a weatherman with an archival memory who works at the Fairbanks office of the National Weather Service. He stressed that the temperature never reached 60 below during the January/February cold snap of 1989, remembered by some locals.

“You’ll get flack for this — ‘It was a million below in 1989!’ — but it’s true,” Thoman wrote in an email. The coldest official Fairbanks temperature during the 1989 cold snap was minus 51 on January 30. It was minus 63 in nearby North Pole that day.

Along with the war in Vietnam and the trial of Charles Manson, the record low was front-page news in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in January 1971. In “Ice fog clogs Fairbanksans,” reporter Sue Lewis wrote of a new daily low record of minus 55 being set in town on the same day it was 25 degrees colder at Prospect Creek. She also mentioned a four-car pileup due to thick ice fog. An editorial writer accurately described the phenomenon:

“Ice fog is produced when water vapor coming from automobile exhaust, buildings, furnaces and open water from heating plants meets an air mass too cold to dissolve it and cold enough to crystallize it . . . That we have created our tent of poisonous fog is attested by the fact that in 1911 there was no ice fog even at 58 below zero.”

Looking back at climate records, the weather was worthy of news coverage. The average temperature in Fairbanks for January 1971 was minus 31.7 — colder than an average Fairbanks January by 20 degrees. The average daily high temperature was minus 22.7 during the frigid month when Alaska’s all-time low temperature was set.

As impressive as Prospect Creek’s minus 80 seems today (when we in Fairbanks tend to get grumpy at minus 30), Alaska’s record is not North America’s all-time low. The revered mark of minus 81 degrees F was set on Feb. 3, 1947 in Canada, less than 20 miles from Alaska.

Editors at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, at that time an afternoon paper, ran a front-page story on that event on the same day it happened:

“Remote Snag Airport in the Yukon had the doubtful distinction of the lowest recorded weather reading,” a reporter wrote. “Official thermometers record only to 80 below, and readers at Snag Airport improvised markings, reporting 82.6 below. The Dominion Weather Bureau ruled this a calculation and set the official mark at 81.”

Alaska has come close to the all-time cold record a few times in recent years. On Jan. 27, 1989, Galena registered at 70 below, McGrath 75 below, and Tanana 76 below. Weather observers Dick and Robin Hammond of Chicken, Alaska recorded minus 72 degrees Fahrenheit during their 8 a.m. thermometer check on Feb. 7, 2008.  Two days later, Larry and June Taylor  — also official observers for the National Weather Service — recorded the same temperature at O’Brien Creek off the Taylor Highway.






 


Creek off the Dalton Highway in northern Alaska, site of Alaska’s all-time low temperature.

Photo by Ed Plumb, National Weather Service, who was born in California on the day of Alaska’s all-time low.

 

 

 

 

 



Temperature taken in early February 2008 by Larry and June Taylor who live near O’Brien Creek off the Taylor Highway.

Photo courtesy of Larry and June Taylor.

 
 



 


Taken from UAF  Archives

 

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