Tuesday, September 21st

Good morning! I took Monday off from writing and from work! Mike and I spent the weekend moose hunting up near Minto, Alaska. Minto is an Athabascan Indian Village about 140 miles northwest of North Pole. For those of you unfamiliar with the road system here in Alaska, many places are not accessible by road, but only by plane or boat. Well, Minto is one of those places that is accessible by road, if you can call it a road. The road to Minto is a dirt/gravel combination for about the last 50 miles. The ruts in the road are incredibly deep and very bumpy. I must say, part of the fun of this trip was actually getting there and get out of there!

The weather was awesome during our trip. We had lows in the 30's and highs in the 50's. Sunshine was abundant. Unfortunately, the moose were not. We called and we called. However, we did not see the first moose. With that said, it was very nice to sit out in the woods and hear the birds chirping and wind rustling the leaves. The leaves are just getting past their peak, but still beautiful. Also, the moon is almost full and we had some good views of the moon rising.

Okay, enough of my rambling about our trip. The weather pattern is quickly shifting. The ridge that has been bringing an incredibly warm Indian Summer to the Interior is leaving us. This is allowing for much cooler weather to filter in here by tomorrow. Highs will go from the 60's and 70's to the 40's. Wow! Can you say, "Change????" According to the NWS, highs and lows for the next seven days will be in the mid 40's and mid 20's.

Current Conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Temperature: 27 degrees

Skies: Clear

RH: 73%

BP: 29.80 and steady

Sunrise: 7:31 a.m.

Sunset: 7:55 p.m.

Friday, September 17th

TGIF! We have made it through another week and the weekend is upon us! The weather has been very tranquil for the last few weeks and appears to continue to be the trend through the weekend and into early next week. The NWS is calling for mostly clear skies with temperatures in the 60's during the day and the 30's overnight.

I have borrowed this excerpt from the NWS's Forecast Discussion that was posted at 5:00 a.m.:

LEGITIMATELY COLD AIR IS PROGGED TO MOVE SOUTH FROM THE NORTH POLE
AND THEN SLIDE DOWN THE WEST COAST BY THE END OF MID RANGE WITH A
520 LOW SUPPLYING THE ENERGY. THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS
MODEL RUN FROM THE GFS. THIS IS ACTUALLY MORE IN LINE WITH THE
ECMWF. THIS OF COURSE REMAINS TO BE SEEN BUT IF THIS DOES PAN OUT
THEN IT WILL BECOME A QUICK TRANSITION FROM INDIAN SUMMER TO FALL.

If this holds true, we could be in for some cooler temperatures at the end of the mid-range forecast. I must say, while I have been enjoying the sun and warm weather, I am ready for some fall-like temps!

Current Conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Temperature: 31 degrees

Skies: Partly Cloudy

RH: 86%

BP: 30.15 and steady

Sunrise: 7:19 a.m.

Sunset: 8:09 p.m.

Thursday, September 16th

Good morning! Wednesday was a gorgeous day in my neck of the woods! We had a high of 65 degrees and plenty of warm rays of sunshine. Today promises to be very similar. The NWS is calling for a high of 65 and partly cloudy skies. The weekend is still looking to be dry, sunny and warm with highs in the low 60's and lows in the upper 20's and low 30's.

The Climate Prediction Center has come out with an update on the short-term and long range outlooks. As you can see from the image above, October looks to be a little on the warm side. However, you can click on the link below to see that in November we should turn colder and actually be below average.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/

Current Conditions at 7:00 a.m.:

Temperature: 28.4 degrees

Skies: Clear

RH: 85%

BP: 30.18 and rising

Sunrise: 7:16 a.m.

Sunset: 8:13 p.m.

Wednesday, September 15th

Good morning! Tuesday was a wonderful fall day! We had a high of 69 degrees here in North Pole. While we are having chilly mornings, the days are warming up nicely. Today will not be any different than the past few days.

The NWS is calling for a highs between 65 and 70 for today and tomorrow. Lows should range between 30 and 40. The weekend appears to be a nice one. Highs should be around 60 degrees with an abundance of sunshine.

After reading the NWS's forecast discussion, they are predicting that the ridge that has kept us warm and sunny for most of the month, will break down by the end of next week. This should bring more seasonable temperatures to our area. So, get out there and enjoy the sun and warm temperatures while you can!

Current conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Temperature: 27 degrees
Skies: Clear
RH: 85%
BP: 30.16 and steady
Sunrise: 7:13 a.m.
Sunset: 8:17 p.m.

Tuesday, September 14th

Good morning! Monday was an incredible day here in the Interior. We had a high of 68 degrees with plenty of sunshine! This is so unusual for the middle of September. The NWS is still calling for warm temperatures throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend. We should have sunny skies with highs between 60 and 70 and lows between 30 and 40.

Tonight, Mike and I meet with the NWS in Fairbanks to get snow measuring equipment for the winter. This should be a lot of fun and very interesting. I will be posting for on this tomorrow.

Current Conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Temperature: 27 degrees
Skies: Clear
RH: 84%
BP: 30.23 and rising
Sunrise: 7:10 a.m.
Sunset: 8:20 p.m.

Monday, September 13th

Good morning! It was an incredibly beautiful weekend! We had sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60's both days. This is quite unheard in September. However, we took advantage of the weather and headed out for a day of moose hunting. While we never even saw a moose, we did enjoy the sunshine and the endless trails of bear scat.

This week looks to be rather tranquil and warm. The NWS is calling for sunny skies throughout the 7-day forecast. Temperatures should be between 65 and 70 during the day and between 30 and 40 overnight.

Current Conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Temperature: 28 degrees
Skies: Clear
RH: 85%
BP: 30.25 and steady
Sunrise: 7:07 a.m.
Sunset: 8:24 p.m.

The coldest temperature I can find this morning is in my backyard at 28 degrees.

Friday, September 10th

Good morning! We are starting off with a little fog this morning, but it promises to be out of here by mid morning so that we can see the sun. I absolutely love this time of year. The leaves are all at their peak color. In fact, as I was driving home yesterday, the wind was blowing and the leaves were raining down upon the road. What a beautiful sight!

Last evening, as I was watching the news, our local meteorologist told an interesting weather story. Apparently, back in 1992 on this very date, Fairbanks experienced on the of the most odd weather days. The temperature dropped to 7 above zero and it snowed 26 inches! Wow, September 10th, 7 degrees and 26 inches of snow! That is very early in the fall to have that kind of weather! I am pleased to say that this type of weather does not appear to be in our near future.

The NWS is still calling for sunny skies through the weekend with highs between 60 and 65. This is rather warm for September and is definitely above average. Lows will range in the upper 30's and low 40's. So, everyone get out there and enjoy the sun!

Current Conditions at 6:30 a.m.:

Skies: A little foggy
Temperature: 40 degrees
RH: 88%
BP: 29.92 and rising
Sunrise: 6:58 a.m.
Sunset: 8:35 p.m.