Anchorage Winters! Really? (Barrow: schools, moving, vacation)

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by wendybird77

Does the winter in Ancourage have straight days or nights? I keep hearing different things. How long does it last? Do you acclimate to it quickly?

In the middle of winter it gets light at 10 am and turns dark around 5 pm. Not sure if you acclimate quickly or not. It depends on how much you crave sunlight. Summer makes up for that because it stays light all night-not sunny, more of a twilight.

[Trevor123]

As an Arkansan, we have received more than normal snow this winter, but my girlfriend (Alaskan native/Arkansas transplant) swears this is nothing compared to Alaska. :-)

[Minnesota Spring]

Originally Posted by skifan77

Lol you do realize that Anchorage is a coastal city right next to the pacific ocean. That being said there is still plenty of snow.

Yeah, Im aware of the Maritime influence, but 40's and 50's in February is warmer that what I expected to see.

[FloridaKash]

This winter is very warm and mild this year. Being this warm in February is pretty unheard of. Usually its cold this time of year but not much snow, resulting in snow getting trucked in for Fur Rondy. You can bet they'll be trucking in a lot of snow this year. I wonder how the trails are.

Question about the light. Yes, up in Barrow, Alaska they do have periods od all night during the winter and all sun during the summer. The all night part is unique to the far north arctic parts of Alaska where as most of Alaska gets the midnight sun during the summer.

Barrow, AK -
Summer - Sun does not set between the first week in May to August 2nd.

Winter - Sun does not rise between Nov 18 and Jan 23.

[RDawg]

Originally Posted by AlaskaKash

Barrow, AK -
Summer - Sun does not set between the first week in May to August 2nd.

Winter - Sun does not rise between Nov 18 and Jan 23.

I'd be okay with that. Sounds really cool, actually.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by RDawg

I'd be okay with that. Sounds really cool, actually.

There is a sort of comfort being embraced by the night, and summers create a restless excitement, people stay up for all hours and look at their watches with shock.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by gobrien

There is a sort of comfort being embraced by the night, and summers create a restless excitement, people stay up for all hours and look at their watches with shock.

Even when you know it's going to be light out at night, it's still different when you actually see it. In Fairbanks just a couple days after the solstice, my friends and I left the basement bar at UAF around midnight and it wasn't even twilight outside. That was pretty disorienting, though I didn't have any trouble sleeping the whole time I was up there.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by tigre79

Even when you know it's going to be light out at night, it's still different when you actually see it. In Fairbanks just a couple days after the solstice, my friends and I left the basement bar at UAF around midnight and it wasn't even twilight outside. That was pretty disorienting, though I didn't have any trouble sleeping the whole time I was up there.

They have a bar at UAF? Hmm not a bad idea, keeps you off the roads.

[FloridaKash]

There's nothing quite like fishing and camping to look at your watch and see that its already 6 am the next morning after partying all night at the campsite. Of course, this always happens when you think it must be time for bed, but you have to get the boat in the water because of tide in 2 hours.

[warptman]

Originally Posted by gobrien

They have a bar at UAF? Hmm not a bad idea, keeps you off the roads.

It's not a full on bar, they call it the Pub. No real hard liquor, just beer.