weather

Tracking Wind

March 6, 2011February 28, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 41 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Temperatures remained quite cold, but winds diminished significantly by later this afternoon. It was interesting to see all the polished ice intermixed with thin patches of wind sculpted snow. As windy as it got here over the last couple of days, it was much stronger elsewhere.

From today’s weather synopsis:

THE WEATHER PATTERN THAT CAUSED FREQUENT WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM JUNEAU TO SKAGWAY AND THE CENTRAL OUTER
COAST IS GRADUALLY WEAKENING. THE HIGHEST MEASURED WIND GUST WAS
150 MPH /130 KNOTS/ AT SHEEP MOUNTAIN SOUTH OF JUNEAU AT 3540
FEET ELEVATION. HIGHEST WIND GUST AT SEA LEVEL WAS 103 MPH /90
KNOTS/ AT CAPE SPENCER IN CROSS SOUND.

Forecast is for relative calm tomorrow and winds picking back up later in the week s a low approaches the coast of British Columbia. Fortunately, temperatures are also forecast to rise.

Pictures from today were taken as I walked across Swan Lake near sunset – hence the shift towards blue and lack of brightness (though I could have neutralized these things in processing, I found the contrast on the snow made it easier to see the texture and shapes if I left it as it was).

I didn’t notice too much unusual in the way of birds today, but one thing did stand out – there were three Great Blue Herons flying south over Swan Lake as I started across it. Perhaps they had all been roosting in trees around the lake and were headed to the beach for low tide. There certainly wasn’t any open water for them to fish around the lake.

Big Wind

March 6, 2011February 27, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 40 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

I spent much of the day sleeping today, still trying to fight off a cold. My brother and I did walk down to the library this afternoon to watch a presentation on pack rafting in Alaska. Winds were pretty stiff coming and going. It was blowing pretty much out of the east, so at our backs on the walk there, but gusting right in our faces on the way back. Combined with temperatures in the teens, it was a chilling walk.

I’ve been paying more attention to snow blowing off the peaks during this recent spell of cold/clear weather, so it was interesting today to see how few peaks could actually be seen. Skies were clear overall, but my guess is that white-out conditions prevailed on most of the higher snow laden peaks. It would be interesting to see the snow sculptures that must have been created with drifts being deposited and carved by the wind.

Dropping Temperatures

February 22, 2022February 22, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 35 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Not much outside time today – pretty much just my walk over to UAS (and a hurried one, at that).

Temperatures have started dropping again, with the forecast for even colder overnight and tomorrow. Outside of the wind, today’s temperatures weren’t bad, but a breeze that seemed to be variable out of the Southeast (mostly) and East made things seem quite a bit colder. It seemed odd for the wind to be out of the Southeast when that’s more associated with low pressure, clouds and rainy. I suspect it was really more of an East wind, but the topography of the island resulted in the wind getting bent around to come out of the Southeast in the downtown area. It was mostly clear, but there were some high level cirrus clouds as well as some lower clouds that formed around some of the mountains.

On my way across the bridge I noticed a Raven carrying a stick flying from near the fuel dock (where I first saw it, anyway) south under the bridge to where it landed in a tree on Turning Island. I took a brief look, but couldn’t make out a nest or anything where I saw it land, but I did not have time for an extended investigation.

Snow Returns

February 4, 2015February 4, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 21 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

After catching the free brown bag concert put on by the Jazz Festival the kids and I got caught in a little snow squall. We waited out the strongest of it at the Crescent Harbor shelter as the snow, mostly in the form of graupel, fell. The forecast had called for snow with no accumulation, but by the end of the day the snow on the ground was approaching an inch deep.

The ice at Swan Lake continues to retreat. There were three Ring-necked Ducks, quite a few Glaucous-winged Gulls, at least one Thayer’s Gull, as well as Mallards and scaups. Today’s mix of scaups was different than yesterday’s, with two male Greater Scaups hanging together while another group of 5 Lesser Scaup males dove repeatedly at the edge of the ice. After the Greater Scaups moved around the peninsula to where the Lesser Scaups were, it was interesting to be able to compare them more directly and see some differences.

I noticed a Common Ragwort (Senecio vulgaris) with flowers still present. It was under a pine tree at the town end of the Lincoln Street green belt. Presumably the cover provided by the pine kept the plant from being significantly damaged by the frost. It seems unlikely the flowers will be able to produce seed, but I guess as temperatures rise in the coming months it will be interesting to see.

Stormy Weather

March 6, 2011February 2, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 19 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Winds picked up through the morning and by this afternoon it was blowing Southeast with strong enough gusts that the crew working on roofing the new house decided it was prudent to shift their efforts to parts of the job that didn’t have quite so much exposure. Accompanying the winds was a moderate rain that seemed heavier as it was driven by the stronger gusts.

Connor and Rowan had seen four Trumpeter Swans on Swan Lake this morning, so they wanted to stop by and check to see if they were still there. I had arrangements to test drive a pick up just up the street, so we all walked to the lake together. There were 40 or more Mallards and a few gulls resting on the ice around the open water adjacent to the peninsula. It was interesting to see the wind whipping the rain and surface water across the ice that remained over much of the lake. The south end of the lake had opened up quite a bit since I walked by on Monday, and I saw at least two Ring-necked Ducks along with a handful of scaups.

Warm Winds

March 6, 2011February 1, 2011 by matt goff

This entry is part 18 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Early this morning temperatures hit 52F, near the record high (54F) for this date. After the rain started, the air cooled off pretty quickly to the mid-to-upper 40s, where it stayed much of the rest of the day. During the afternoon, the rain let up, and the relatively warm Southeast wind started drying things off.

The walk over to UAS was largely uneventful. Though it was interesting to see a Great Blue Heron with its back to the wind and head plumes being held up over its head by the gusting breeze. Rowan said she thought it looked like a giant kingfisher that way.