how do you deal with the cold (Fairbanks, Salcha: live in, shop)

[JavaPhil]

Nice to hear from you Momma. Hope you feel better soon.

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by MommaF8

I'm from NE PA

The varmit and I are from the Johnstown area of PA. Good to see another PA person here... ClassicSatch is from down our way as well but I haven't seen him post for a long time.

[rotorhead]

The best way to deal with the cold is...don't get too skinny. You gotta have some insulation on you if you're gonna be happy in Alaska. Yeah, sure, you can wear another layer of sweaters and fleece, but single-digit body fat and cold temps just don't go together well.

[city_data91]

I weigh 135 pounds, so it makes sense that I could never live in Alaska.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

I can handle the cold (and even the heat) as long as the humidity if low and it's not all rainy. Dry cold/heat is wonderful... wet cold/heat sucks the life right out of you. I've lived all over and found that I prefer, in order: cold/dry, hot/dry, cold/wet, hot/wet (so Fairbanks, Las Vegas, Seattle, Atlanta). There is absolutely nothing worse than 98F and 98% humidity... I swear when I was in Atlanta, it was actually above 100% humidity but was too darned hot to rain, total suckola. I love the cold and snow, which is why I'm moving up to the Interior. But if you don't like cold or snow, stay below 40 degrees latitude!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by MissingAll4Seasons

I can handle the cold (and even the heat) as long as the humidity if low and it's not all rainy. Dry cold/heat is wonderful... wet cold/heat sucks the life right out of you. I've lived all over and found that I prefer, in order: cold/dry, hot/dry, cold/wet, hot/wet (so Fairbanks, Las Vegas, Seattle, Atlanta). There is absolutely nothing worse than 98F and 98% humidity... I swear when I was in Atlanta, it was actually above 100% humidity but was too darned hot to rain, total suckola. I love the cold and snow, which is why I'm moving up to the Interior. But if you don't like cold or snow, stay below 40 degrees latitude!

I have to agree with you, humidity really does suck. You should be aware that the further you get from the ocean, the more humid the air will be. Fairbanks is much more humid than Anchorage, and the temperature in Fairbanks during the Summer can reach into the 90°F range, a good 10° to 15°F warmer than Anchorage.

The Interior of Alaska is truly the land of extremes, they have the coldest temperatures in the Winter, and the hottest temperatures in the Summer. A great place to visit, but I would not want to live under those conditions.

[rotorhead]

quote" I weigh 135 pounds, so it makes sense that I could never live in Alaska."

Well CityData91, that depends on how tall you are. If you're 4' 8" you're probably gonna be fine. If you're 5' 10', you're gonna be cold all the time.

Unless you're a woman, in which case you're gonna be cold all the time anyway if my wife is any kind of example.

I'm not sure if the interior is any more humid percentage-wise than the coastal areas, but it sure as heck is a lot muggier. Here in SE we virtually never get up into the 90's, let alone the hundreds. It doesn't really matter all that much if it's 90% humidity when it's 60 or 70 degrees F., but it sure does when it's really hot like they get in Fairbanks.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Luckily, we're not actually going to be in Fairbanks, but down in the Tanana River valley where it's a bit more "temperate". We might see a -70F or 90F day once in a blue moon, but not like F'Banks. When we were up at our land, it didn't seem as humid as I felt when I lived down in Anchorage, but maybe that's because I've been here in Seattle in between... it's almost always 100% humidity her because it's either raining, just got done raining, or just about to rain

And City_Data91 -- I only weigh 5lbs more than you and am 5'6"... the cold doesn't get to me even without "insulation". Guess it depends on how active you are out in the cold and how close to the surface your capillaries are (i.e. how "thick" your blood is).

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Glitch

You should be aware that the further you get from the ocean, the more humid the air will be. Fairbanks is much more humid than Anchorage,

The farther from the ocean, the lower the humidity. Fairbanks is vastly less humid than Anchorage.

In general, the farther from an ocean the greater the temperature swings will be, and that is significantly true for Fairbanks compared to Anchorage. Oceans are a huge heat sink, which in addition to providing humidity also provide warmth in the winter and cooler air in the summer.

The above effects from the ocean are of course the reason for more moderate temperatures and higher humidity around Anchorage. The isolation of the Interior from oceans is exacerbated greatly by two extremely high mountain ranges. The Alaska Range removes almost all influence from the Pacific Ocean and the Brooks Range isolates it from the Arctic Ocean.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by MissingAll4Seasons

Luckily, we're not actually going to be in Fairbanks, but where it's a bit more "temperate". We might see a -70F or 90F day once in a blue moon, but not like F'Banks. When we were up at our land, it didn't seem as humid as I felt when I lived down in Anchorage

The Interior is generally dryer than Anchorage. The average annual precipitation in the Fairbanks area is 11.5 inches, while Anchorage gets 15.9 inches. During the winter months though, when Fairbanks experiences harshly cold temperatures, it also can see relative humidy levels in single digits! That never happens in Anchorage. Plus, warm days in Anchorage have a high relative humidity, while warm days in Fairbanks have a lower than average RH.

That is not insignificant either, because people who wear contact lenses or have afflictions such as dry skin often cannot tolerate the dryness of Fairbanks and the Interior.

I'm a little concerned with your description of the climate you expect, citing Fairbanks as an extreme compared to "down in the Tanana River valley", where you appear to expect a more "temperate" climate. Generally, you've got that backwards!

Fairbanks is more temperate than almost any place that is "down in the Tanana River valley"! The hills around Fairbanks, and the very slightly higher elevation, keep it at roughly 10-15 degrees warmer than almost any place directly on the river. You cited -70F as possible where you will be living... but the coldest official temperature ever recorded in Fairbanks is only -62F.

There are some very significant tradeoffs for locations around Fairbanks. Living at a higher elevation means it never gets cold (the hilltops around Fairbanks never see even -30F), but there is no water, the roads are dangerous, and generally it's just much easier to live down by the river and deal with the cold!