Life in Alaska

[poor farmer/logger]

Still waiting here. Cooled off a little bit the last week but nothing to exciting yet. Hasn’t even hit 0°F yet. Almost 40 for the high on Tuesday they’re saying now. Still nothing for snow, at least nothing to get excited about. Long term forecast only shows a inch or two. Not sure we’ll get a white Christmas this year. Doesn’t look promising for snowmobiling for the next 3 weeks anyways. 

[AKwelder]

Well it’s solstice, thank goodness.  We can start earning daylight 

 

 

 

 

[AKwelder]

On 12/3/2023 at 4:32 PM, poor farmer/logger said:

Still waiting here. Cooled off a little bit the last week but nothing to exciting yet. Hasn’t even hit 0°F yet. Almost 40 for the high on Tuesday they’re saying now. Still nothing for snow, at least nothing to get excited about. Long term forecast only shows an inch or two. Not sure we’ll get a white Christmas this year. Doesn’t look promising for snowmobiling for the next 3 weeks anyways. 

 We got some snow last week, more this weekend, and a bunch of moon dust since. I finally shoveled off the deck this week and we had a foot of snow on the deck. And it finally dropped to below zero, but it’s been a very warm winter thus far. 
 

in a side note.  The plow truck, while ugly, sure has been more pleasant to keep everything speared out.  It’s just constantly needing something, now it needs a fan clutch

[hardtail]

That's a lot of hours of darkness, snow on the ground helps reflect what little light there is, makes it easier to see game coming out of the ditches at night, glad you made the turn and Merry Christmas!!

[poor farmer/logger]

Still just a skiff of snow here. We had around a inch the other day but it settled and blew around so I sure wouldn’t call it a white Christmas yet. Technically not brown either but it’s hard to call it winter yet lol. Few clubs have started to groom or pack trails down in some spots in the province but snowmobile season is pretty much at a standstill yet. Dealers are starting to worry too. One local dealer has something like 400 sleds siting there ready for sale. That’s going to hurt a bit. 
 

Sure is nice to be inside a cab when dealing with the snow. Makes it easier to put up with the issues that pop up with it I’m sure. 

[New Englander]

Lots of rain and wind for us last week. I like the way it plows. Nearly new flag really tattered, branches and trees in the area took a beating, temps only getting into the low 20s some nights.

Those really short days have got to be depressing.

[AKwelder]

Happy new Year all, let’s see if I can get this back going, and post better this year

 

 

[AKwelder]

Well, I started digging out the truck yesterday, but it was going to snow, so I stopped.

 

and it snowed almost 4 inches, so plowing tomorrow and then I will try to breath life into her.

 

spent the day in the shop 

 

[hardtail]

What's the temps up there, we've been having a cold blast out of the north for almost a week?

[AKwelder]

1 hour ago, hardtail said:

What's the temps up there, we've been having a cold blast out of the north for almost a week?

Wonderfully warm.  We have been below zero at times, but warmer than normal.  8 above while I type this. 

[Alan Dinan]

It’s 9* here in southern Illinois right now. We don’t have much snow here, just a light dusting.

[AKwelder]

30 minutes ago, Alan Dinan said:

It’s 9* here in southern Illinois right now. We don’t have much snow here, just a light dusting.

Ouch, that will drive the frost down

[AKwelder]

Light is starting to come back

 

 

about an hour more since the solstice last month. 

[Alan Dinan]

25 minutes ago, AKwelder said:

Ouch, that will drive the frost down

Our 10 day forecast 

[AKwelder]

Worked on small stuff this weekend 

 

 

sunset looking south. 

[Rawleigh99]

Pretty, but you can keep it!  Lol 

[poor farmer/logger]

Warming up here end of the week again unfortunately. 

[AKwelder]

We have had a really mild winter, looks like that’s changing.  Currently -15 here in the hills.  Might have some really cold days ahead with a high of 30 below. 
 

looks like, you guys are warming up

[Alan Dinan]

How are the ice roads up there? Are they open yet?

[AKwelder]

6 hours ago, Alan Dinan said:

How are the ice roads up there? Are they open yet?

Some are.  The crews are out pipelining so that’s mostly ice road activity, but I don’t know if they are permitted and on the ice yet. 
 

been really warm so it’s a hard to get the roads done

[Alan Dinan]

1 hour ago, AKwelder said:

Some are.  The crews are out pipelining so that’s mostly ice road activity, but I don’t know if they are permitted and on the ice yet. 
 

been really warm so it’s a hard to get the roads done

I was thinking that you ran some of them, too

[AKwelder]

On 1/22/2024 at 5:52 AM, Alan Dinan said:

I was thinking that you ran some of them, too

Not the new construction, sorry.  I have worked there in the past, but I have not ran the work.

I work with the maintenance crews on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Which is run by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company to bring the oil from the North Slope 800 miles south to the ice free port of Valdez.  it’s a joint venture company formed by the oil producers.
 

The producers all have lines on the north slope (many thousands of miles) that feed the mainline. They are currently expanding to bring new fields online.

[AKwelder]

Two Tesla trucks passing me tonight

 

 

cold weather test I guess

[AKwelder]

1 hour ago, AKwelder said:

Two Tesla trucks passing me tonight

 

 

cold weather test I guess

I guess I should add that out mild winter came to a screeching halt.  We have been really cold and it’s looking bad for Thursday night, like 55 below, so there are lots of manufacturers here with vehicles 

[augercreek]

Most weird winter I've ever seen in my 80+ years! 47* yesterday and maybe a inch of snow left. We are almost 3 feet short of our normal snow fall. We were in a drought last year and now we have a good start on one this year.