 Forty Below |
Forty Below |
November 20, 2011Arcticulates ®Focusing on Alaska's BeautyAuthor: K. FieldsForty BelowAs I sit and write this... it's -38'F outside, warmed up from -46'F during the night. We are experiencing colder weather then usual for this time of year. Tho it isn't unusual to have temps hovering just below zero, we usually get these extreme cold kind of temps in the Interior of Alaska during late December... mid January, but none the less, when you live in Alaska you simply have to be prepared for whatever the weather will dish out at any given moment. Below Freezing Winter Scenery
Surprisingly enough not all of Alaska has to tolerate these kinds of cold temps. In the areas like Anchorage, it rarely gets very far below 0'F. I live in the interior of Alaska where there are extreme drops in the temps during the winter. Coldest it's been since I have lived here is -68'F. There are many things we need to be aware of during this kind of cold snap.. and the biggest is to make sure your skin is well covered when outside for any amount of time to avoid frostbite. Frosty Moose
An interesting phenomenon when it gets this cold is what we call Ice Fog. The deep rivers that run through the interior of Alaska do not completely freeze up, so the water is slowly moving. When it gets this cold, a steam comes off the water, so much so that it turns into a very deep dense fog in the areas where the rivers are. When these ice fogs dissipate they leave a layer of ice blanketed over everything. Frozen Sunset
Plus along with the Ice Fog, we have Ice crystals that cover the ground in extreme cold which are called Frost Crystals. When these Frost Crystals grow larger it's called Hoarfrost Crystals. Hoarfrost Crystals are formed by the cold temperatures and water vapor near large bodies of water.
It's not uncommon to see Hoarfrost covering everything, like a thin blanket, in below zero temps, the most common form is called Surface Hoar. How this Surface hoarfrost comes about is when it warms up during the day, like... let's say... -18', (I know most of you are thinking.."THAT'S WARM???" But when compared to -35...-50.. YES... it is!) And then when the temps drop during the night, the cold air touches the surface of the snow, and the water inside the snow bank (from the warmer daylight hours) evaporates and then recrystalizes on the surface.
So in the morning you wake up to beautiful sparkle faceted surface hoarfrost ice crystals covering everything. Creating a winter wonderland, and when you walk across the snow the Surface Hoarfrost crunches and sounds like tiny shards of glass tinkling together. A very amazing phenomenon, tho it usually melts when the sun comes up. Hoarfrost Covered Tree Near River
When you go outside... you will see the whole world around you alive with sparkles the beauty is amazing, and very hard to capture on camera. It is like a bunch of small diamonds nestled together, coating everything, and it just sparkles by the smallest glint of light.. and during the daylight hours, and the sunlight catches the facets on these ice crystals the beauty can take your breath away. Sun Shining on Hoarfrost Covered Trees
During these extreme temp drops I have discovered instead of looking at the 'oh me... oh mys' it is better to focus on the stunningly beautiful aspects that the cold brings. So as I finish this post... my mind is on thanking God for the provision of a warm house, and in getting dressed warmly and going outside to enjoy the sparkling winter wonderland that I am blessed to live in. Later... K Fields See Also: Baby! It's Cold Outside
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