On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
Last week Sitka experienced a windstorm with gusts up to 75 mph. The kids and I had a fun time walking over to UAS – especially in some of the gusts that felt like they would blow us away. Unfortunately, the power line between town and the hydro projects that supply our power was knocked … Read more
It’s been quite warm (by Sitka standards) over the past few days. Thursday’s high temperature of 75F broke the former record high for the date of 68F, set in 1990. It was slightly cooler on Friday, and the high temperature of 70F recorded at the airport did not come particularly close to breaking the record … Read more
Graupel is a type of snow that forms when snow flakes fall through parts of the atmosphere that have supercooled water droplets. Instead of maintaining the form of flat snow flakes and/or elongated snow crystals, the supercooled water condenses as a rime on the surface that results in a pellet shape. Superficially, graupel looks a … Read more
Lower Temperatures bring a Lower Snow Level After nearly two months that seemed unseasonably warm and lacking in precipitation, this week has been a return to what I tend to expect of late winter and early spring weather. Monday’s cooler temperatures with heavy clouds and rain, were followed by a short reprieve in partly-cloudy Tuesday, … Read more
This spring it was hard to miss all the geese in Sitka as they flew honking overhead or fed and rested on lawns and beaches. Based on reported sightings, at least 250 birds visited town, possibly many more. Most are Greater White-fronted Geese, though there were at least one Snow Goose and a handful of … Read more
This afternoon the temperature started rising, increasing to over 50 degrees this evening. When I went out around 3, there was a bit of wind, and I found it interesting that the gusts were sometimes warm, sometimes cool. I guessed that a warmer air mass had moved in to the area, at first forming a … Read more