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Friday, February 25, 2011

Weird weather continues

Yahoo continues to blare winter storm warnings from NOAA:

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON AKST SATURDAY.

SNOW SHOWERS...SOME OF THEM BRIEFLY HEAVY...WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY THROUGH TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. MUCH OF THE SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY IS OCCURRING IN NARROW BANDS... SO SNOW AMOUNTS MAY VARY CONSIDERABLY.

AS OF LATE THIS MORNING...SNOW AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES WERE REPORTED IN AREAS NEAR FAIRBANKS. STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY.

ON THE VALLEY FLOOR AND AT LOWER ELEVATIONS...SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OCCASIONALLY AS HIGH AS 50 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING...THEN DIMINISH VERY SLOWLY. WINDS IN THESE AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH TO 15 TO 20 MPH BY MORNING. VISIBILITY MAY BE BRIEFLY REDUCED TO A HALF MILE OR LESS IN SOME AREAS BY HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS AND BLOWING SNOW.

OVER THE SUMMITS ABOVE TREE LINE...WINDS WILL BE NORTHWEST 35 TO 50 MPH TONIGHT...WITH POOR VISIBILITY IN SNOW SHOWERS AND BLOWING SNOW. HEAVY DRIFTING SNOW HAS MADE THE ROADS OVER THE SUMMITS IMPASSABLE.

THIS MORNINGS WEATHER BALLOON FLIGHT AT FAIRBANKS REPORTED WINDS OF ABOUT 64 MPH AT THE 850 MILLIBAR PRESSURE LEVEL... AT ABOUT 4700 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL...THIS MORNING. THIS IS THE SECOND HIGHEST WIND SPEED EVER RECORDED AT THIS PRESSURE LEVEL DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITY VERY HAZARDOUS.

It's like Anchorage! Warmer, but windier, with snow piling up and blowing around. Snow is blowing sideways and making little twirly things like dust devils, only made of snow.

Millie Bunn is very moody about this. A gust goes one way through the trees, and she stamps her feet and hrrmphs. Another gust goes another way, and she flops out in contented bliss. What a weird wabbit!

1 comment:

mdr said...

your lips were blue in that picture.. it was just soooo cold, but you survived :-)