Alaska Chat III (Metlakatla, McCarthy: nuisance, live, activity)

[Nephler]

Meaning I missed the snow and snow storms while I was in AK. I only had to shovel a handful of times while there. Here, if you don't own a snow-thrower or plow truck, you're screwed, you would be shoveling 24/7.

[ShipOfFools42]

Well that's a bummer to hear kinda. I thought the Valley got a good amount of snow, but I guess not compared to northern Michigan. Gotta love lake effect. My first snowy winters were in central Massachusetts, where there are Nor'Easters and all other manner of wicked snowstorms. I loved that. There's nothing like sitting by your fire, watching the snow fall (fast and hard) outside, reading a good book. Then the next morning you've gotta go dig out the snow blower. That sounds nice right about now...

But at least fall is here. It's so great to walk outside and be hit with a cool breeze instead of scorching sunshine. Snow to come before too long.

I would love to read it if you ever got the notion to write up a comparison between your experience in AK and your experience in MI, Nephler.

[Nephler]

I've been thinking of doing just that, a comparison, for some time now. There are lots of pros and cons to both places, just have to get around to writing something up.

[gobrien]

Depending on where you live in Alaska, and please note I have never been anywhere off the road or ferry system, I have noticed that the snow falls soft and quietly...rather than a storm/blizzard. Every once in a while you will have a storm that looks the way people expect an Alaskan snow storm to look like.

[SityData]

In the villages of the Arctic - snow is always horizontal due to the never ending winds.

It doesn't snow per say in the villages; (Point Hope) the wind blows the snow down to the village from the mountains.

[freezengirl]

I learned a whole new world of snow/ice last winter in Homer (my first in AK), incredibly different from a life time of winters in northern Minnesota. I think most of my friends thought I was nuts sending them pictures of footprints in the snow, but I couldn't believe how different it was. I learned one important lesson from the first semi-storm. Do NOT wait until the snow lets up to clear off the car. It took me three days to clear off alternate layers of snow and ice. My paint job will never be the same. Stepped on snow is compressed into ice and freezing rain is tricky to deal with, it will find any crack or crevise to fuse togather. On the other hand-it was a LOT of fun to call my friends and family back in MN all winter and crow about how warm it was here in Alaska! :-)

[Nephler]

Strong forecast for northern lights over Alaska
A tsunami of charged particles from the sun is spreading a massive geomagnetic storm over the Earth’s poles, creating the potential for an “extreme” aurora borealis visible throughout Alaska.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by Nephler

Strong forecast for northern lights over Alaska
A tsunami of charged particles from the sun is spreading a massive geomagnetic storm over the Earth’s poles, creating the potential for an “extreme” aurora borealis visible throughout Alaska.

Thanks for the forecast! I saw some so pretty a couple of weeks ago that I almost cried from the experience. Purple streaks were cascading along with the usual colors. It only happened for a couple of minutes around 3 am during a bout of insomnia.

[ASpilot2be]

A friend was flying from overseas to Anchorage last night and said the show was amazing! Another friend was flying out of Boise last night and saw them there too.

[HighlandLady]

The Lights haven't made it to South Dakota plains as of yet...but I am still out waiting! Again for all of you in Alaska:
Aurora Forecast | Geophysical Institute
Forecast: Auroral activity will be active. Weather permitting, active auroral displays will be visible overhead from Barrow to Anchorage and Juneau, and visible low on the horizon from King Salmon and Prince Rupert.