Those who care about the planet will rejoice that cold and snow continue in Alaska on 4/28/13. Those who only pretend to care about the planet will ignore scientific data that Alaska isn't burning up.

4/28/13, "Endless winter: Cold weather continues for much of Alaska," Alaska Dispatch

"Think spring is well overdue? You’re right. Below average temperatures are lingering over much of Alaska, and upcoming forecasts do not hold the promise of warmer weather anytime soon.

The cold weather is due to the Polar Jet Stream, a fast flowing air current cascading off the North Pole and Arctic Ocean, that is pushing cold, dry air over large parts of Alaska, causing below normal temperatures for much of the state, the National Weather Service writes on its Facebook page.

“In some cases, daytime highs are running close to 10-20ºF below normal.” NWS writes.

And that’s not all … The NWS’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting continued chilly temperatures well below normal temperatures for the next 8 to 14 days. The prolonged cold is due to high pressure over the Bering Sea that is preventing the weather pattern from shifting, NWS writes.

These chilly temperatures are stopping the breakup of ice on major rivers, including the Yukon River. “The concern is that an eventual shift to normal warmth would may bring a rapid thaw and flooding if the pattern shifts quickly,” NWS writes. Breakup conditions can be found at the NWS River Forecast Center page.

The Interior city of Fairbanks has seen snowfall in recent days, and this week, daytime highs in the 30s are forecast through Tuesday, with a chance of rain and snow on Thursday night.

In Nenana, ice on the Nenana River has increased in recent days, throwing a bit of a curveball to the Nenana Ice Classic tradition, where people guess when the tripod erected on the river will fall during breakup season. On April 25, the ice was 51 inches thick, two inches thicker than just a few days before; last year, the tripod had already fallen by then.

In Anchorage, April’s below average temperatures are forecast to continue into at least early May, NWS writes. Highs in the 40s are forecast through the week.

On Saturday, Juneau saw record snowfall for the day, and heavy late-season snows remain likely in Southeast Alaska. Snow accumulation up to 1 inch forecast in Juneau for Sunday, and snow and rain showers forecast again on Tuesday." via Climate Common Sense, via Tom Nelson






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