Colder today in Tampa than Skagway (Anchorage, Fairbanks: areas, places, coastal)

[Dakster]

I know this is just one wierd day out of the year, but it is still a fun to think that Florida could be colder than a city in AK.

[Glitch]

Ten days to two weeks of unseasonably warm weather in January is not that unusual for Alaska. It does not always happen during the month of January, but there is typically a ten day to two week period every winter when the temperature warms up considerably.

What has been happening with the temperatures in the lower-48, with the polar vortex and a southerly jet stream, also occurs in Alaska. There are actually two polar vortexes in the northern hemisphere. The one over Canada is what is affecting the lower-48. The other polar vortex is over Siberia.

When the polar vortex over Siberia is at its peak, temperatures in Alaska drop like a stone. It can be -20°F or colder in Anchorage, and -40°F or colder in Fairbanks. When the Siberian polar vortex eventually breaks down, it brings up lots of warm winds up from the south. We call these winds the Chinook Wind.

The Chinook Wind can be quite strong, often exceeding 100 mph. It can also dramatically change the temperature in a matter of hours from well below freezing to well above freezing. It never lasts however. By this time next week the Chinook Wind will be gone and temperatures will plummet to the sub-zero range again, which is normal for February.

[Dakster]

It is just interesting to see that when AK is at its warmest and Florida is at its coldest, the temps cross. Something I knew was possible, but a lot of people do not think it is.

Obviously Tampa is not going to see below zero temps. If it did, then something is way out of whack weather wise.

Does the pineapple express ever make it up to AK? Or is that what you are calling the Chinook Wind?

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Dakster

It is just interesting to see that when AK is at its warmest and Florida is at its coldest, the temps cross. Something I knew was possible, but a lot of people do not think it is.

Obviously Tampa is not going to see below zero temps. If it did, then something is way out of whack weather wise.

Does the pineapple express ever make it up to AK? Or is that what you are calling the Chinook Wind?

The Kuroshio current has more of an effect on Alaska. It is what keeps the southern coastal areas warmer during the winter than their latitude would suggest. The Kuroshio current is also why the Alaskan panhandle, Washington State, Oregon, and northern California have temperate rainforests.

The Kuroshio current effects southern Alaska and the northwest coast in a similar way that the Gulf Stream warms Europe during the winter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuroshio_Current

[Fiddlehead]

Rossby Waves pattern.


Jennifer Francis - Understanding the Jetstream - m - YouTube

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Rossby Waves pattern.


Jennifer Francis - Understanding the Jetstream - m - YouTube

An interesting little tid-bit concerning the discovery of the jet stream. It was discovered in September 1883 just after the devastating Krakatoa eruption, and was originally described as a "river of smoke" over the Pacific Ocean.

[Rance]

Spoke with our friend in Jacksonville yesterday. I guess 3 or 4 days ago it was colder in Jacksonville Florida than in Anchorage!

[green_mariner]

This probably means it's much colder in "Hotlanta" than it is in Skagway.

[Dakster]

Hotlanta probably had some snow recently - considering Pensacola had sleet.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Dakster

Hotlanta probably had some snow recently - considering Pensacola had sleet.

Actually, a few days ago there were spotty flurries in a few places.