Wind & Darkness (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Palmer: travel, work, sick)

[Huntress1]

I have lived in several states and always noticed the month or two of high winds. Dose AK have that much wind too? How do people cope with the dark days if you don't work out side the home?

[User 2]

Originally Posted by Huntress1

Dose AK have that much wind too?

Yep, we have all the same windy weather phenomena as anywhere else, sometimes even more...

Originally Posted by Huntress1

How do people cope with the dark days if you don't work out side the home?

Some people can't cope, even if they have work outside the home.
.
..

[DannyL]

Yes, it can get breezy, especially in winter.
Yesterday, last night, and this morning we were getting gusts up to 45 mph. then there are the "Taku winds", which can hit as high as 100 mph. We had one blast off the glacier last winter that came downtown, took out several street signs and the vertical pole street light on the corner of Main and Egan. That's why there is a new light there. That one gust was clocked at 84 mph and lasted for almost 20 seconds.

As far as the darkness, some people just never seem to be able to deal with it, most will "winter down south", i.e. the lower 48.
You can buy a "happy lamp" to trick your brain into thinking it is getting more sunlight, some find that taking St. John's Wort daily helps. The nicname is cabin fever.

[DannyL]

Oh, btw, tommorrow between 5 and 7 a.m., wind chill is predicted to hit -25 because of the wind. It was -21 this morning.

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

We hit a nasty -58 without windchill traveling up through Healy(Denali area).

Up in the Hillside area of Anchorage, we have recieved 120+ mph winds on quite a few occasions. I would say that on average, once a month..we receive 75+ mph winds. You just deal with it. The majority of the time it happens at night. The Palmer flats also receive high winds upwards of 100 mph.

[warptman]

We've been in the minus temps and high winds for the better part of a month and a half now. I can't wait for spring to sprung. Sick of this cold crap. Walking isn't any fun now. I want to ride my bike!

[RayinAK]

It has been around -45 near Fairbanks for the past three or four days, although we get a little "global warming" from the sun during the day, and the temperature rises to around -30 degrees, then drops by sundown. Around -60 or colder by Toke, today. The cold front is supposed to stay with us through next week. This will make for a cold Yukon Quest start in Fairbanks Saturday.

[ASpilot2be]

Yes there is wind

My parents went out and where watching water spouts in Lynn Canal today