Welcome to April! Traditionally, April is "Break Up" month in Alaska. When I first heard this, I wasn't quite sure what to think. Maybe the long winter, the darkness and the extreme cold has taken its toll on relationships. Now that spring has sprung and love is in the air, it creates a rift between people.
Well, fortunately, "Break Up" does not refer to relationships. It actually refers to the ice on the rivers melting and breaking up. It also refers to the snow melting and being able to see grass again (although it is dead, we will be happy to see brown grass).
Break up month also has a very special significance to a small town 56 miles southwest of Fairbanks, Nenana. Nenana has a population of about 500 people and is situated on the banks of the Tanana River. After months of being frozen solid, the town places a very large tripod on the frozen river. Each spring, thousands of people buy tickets to guess exactly when the ice will break and the tripod will fall. They make guesses down to the very second. For example, someone might guess April 1 12:25:03 p.m. Whoever guesses the closest, wins the jackpot!
Well, the tripod is still standing. However, with a long stretch of 40+ degree days, I have a feeling that tripod will fall sooner than later. I will keep you posted on what is happening.
Current Conditions at 7:00 a.m.:
Skies: Clear
Temperature: 27
Temperature: 27
RH: 73%
BP: 29.38 and rising
Sunrise: 7:07 a.m.
Sunset: 8:44 p.m.
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