WEATHER CONDITIONS IN BARROW

Most mornings I log onto the  NOAA website to see what sort of weather is waiting to embrace the community when we step out our doors to leave for work or school.  Before having looked it up this morning, a voice on the radio announced that the North Slope Borough School District, all North Slope Borough offices, Ilisagvik College, and the City of Barrow were asking employees to stay home because of blowing snow, low visibility and dangerous conditions.  

 I was a little surprised in that this time of year the weather is normally adverse so people put on an extra layer or two, make sure their cleats are firmly attached to their boots, find their goggles and head out.  My surprise isn't mixed with any disappointment though--it's wonderful to have an unplanned day off.  I didn't get my snow tires put on my bike this weekend, so today's the day.  

 Our current weather conditions are winds out of the east at 35 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, heavy blowing snow, a base temperature of 13 degrees F and a wind chill of minus 10 degrees F.  It will be much colder over the coming months with temperatures dropping to the minus 50's but if wind isn't present and visibility isn't poor, there most likely won't be closures.

Here is an interesting website about how weather in Barrow is measured and recorded:

 http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/brw/

 Here's another one that posts webcam videos of conditions.  It's interesting in that it compares sea ice conditions from year to year.

 http://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observatories/barrow_webcam

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ARRIVING IN BARROW 1ST DAY OCT 10, 2012

I think someone is stuck on the ice outside my apartment window this morning. The sound of spinning wheels is alerting me to the new environment I find myself in. It must be around 3 am as it’s very dark outside, but no, it’s 9. I haven’t checked the temperature yet, but hope it is at least cold enough to be blog-worthy. I arrived to snow-covered twilight; flying into Barrow last night was magical. I walked, only because it was too slippery to jog, across the tarmac and into the hustle of people in big jackets, laughing children in parkas, and hugging couples in the small terminal to find Darlene Lord, the Director of Public Health. She greeted me warmly with her characteristic smile and jokes about the number of bags I brought on the plane. Did it seem like a lot, I asked? No, she brought twice that amount with her, enlisting her sister, a community health aid flying in for training to host two of her large and heavy tubs. I’m staying in a nicely furnished three bedroom a
Read more

GOOD MORNING ON THE EVE OF A NEW YEAR

Image
Glenn and Anne's hut at NARL Ah...I haven't written for some time now but somehow it feels right this morning.  I'm sitting at my pine desk after a wonderful night's rest in my own bed.  It’s wonderful to have taken this for granted in the past but to find renewed joy in it now. Contrasts and change seem to heighten a sense of gratitude for me, pushing me into a pleasant and welcome state of mind.  I just recently returned to my apartment after enjoying eleven days of  house/cat sitting out at one of the huts at NARL, the old Navy Arctic Research Lab.  Big Boy, Anne and Glenn’s smokey-gray, long-haired, affectionate feline was in need of companionship and feeding as well as were the two fish in the large murky tank and the multiple, active, chubby worms in the indoor compost bin. All-in-all, it was a great eleven days.  The hut is quite large although it looks small from the outside. I’m still washing clothes by hand at my apartment, a weekly ritual that is ti
Read more