Even though we are struggling this year in the snow department, and by we I mean most of the entire country except for of all places the southwest, some areas continue to take their yearly pounding. And nobody gets pounded harder than Valdez, Alaska. With an average total of 326 inches, they are said to be the snowiest city in the United States. And they are living up to that reputation this season.
Valdez is a town of a little more than 4,000 that sits east of Anchorage nestled between a port and mountains. It's not some small outdated town either. Fishing, oil and tourism fuel the economy and the median income for a family is almost $75,000. Not to mention that no matter where you are in town, you have one hell of a view.
But I hope you like snow. Since the beginning of this month, they have received over 67 inches of snow. Insane for most of us but not atypical for these folks. In fact for the month of December, Valdez managed a respectable 152 inches of snow. That my friends, is a lot. I guess the one to two feet of snow forecast over the next few days is really no big deal. I wonder if they do anything besides shovel? They have received over a foot of snow in one day 8 times this season. In December, only three days saw no measurable snow. What makes it more interesting is their temperatures are quite seasonable. Daily highs are in the upper 20's or low 30's and nighttime temps rarely dip below the teens in this time of year.
Getting back closer to home, temperatures should become more typical by the weekend. I continue to hear the same old song every week since the end of December. The La Nina is weakening, the cold air is coming, the second half of winter could be nasty. This would have been more believable had it not been said every day for the last few weeks. I'm not saying it won't happen, but it's not coming at the rate they have said it would. I am just ready for some colder weather. Ran before Christmas and after Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt. Ran in my first Shiver by the River and now my second in... you guessed it, shorts and a t-shirt.
Enjoy these for a little while until we can bring winter back.
 |
| Neighborhood in Valdez (Not Winter) with a look at the views |
 |
| Hard to shovel when you can't get outside |
 |
| Even the dog is saying you must be kidding |
 |
| See the stops signs with the street sign on top? |
 |
| Street view of what houses across Valdez look like |
1 comments:
RD-Hey, it's Alaska...it's supposed to snow there! But for the NE, bring on 'global warming!' I want to wear shorts year round!
DJG
Post a Comment