Coldest snap since '89 headed our way....

The National Weather Service is predicting record breaking temps for Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley for the next week to ten days. We woke up to find the thermometer reading -46 this morning and it's likely to hit -50 to -55 tonight.

In another lifetime I spent a great deal of time at our lodge on the Yukon River some 400 miles as the crow flies from Fairbanks. It was routine to see winter temps drop to -60 to -80 and stay there for weeks at a time. Throw in a little wind and the temps dipped to well below -100 below. Not exactly the weather you want to spend a lot of time out in.

Dress warm, keep your winter gear handy (in your car), keep your fuel tanks filled up (house and car), keep your cell phone charged and with you and don't venture out unless you have to. Any body parts you're fond of should be kept covered... at these temps it does not take long for frostbite to occur.

While that might look like a sunset, it's really a sunrise... at 11:45AM. At this time of year the sun doesn't get very high on the horizon. This is pretty much what daylight in Alaska looks like in December.

This lovely stuff is ice fog and it can be a bear. There are days when it's so thick you can barely see beyond the hood of your car... and yet some fool will still think it's a good idea to pass you doing 65 on the highway.

This was taken in beautiful, scenic downtown North Pole, Alaska. We're supposed to see these temps hang around for a week to ten days. Highs of -35 to -45 and lows of -45 to -60 or colder. Brrrrr, -60? Now, that's cold.

The above photos were shot today, Sunday, December 28, 2008 beginning at about 11:45 with the last shot taken at the North Pole Mt. McKinley Bank branch around 3:30. Notice the darkness? Yep, it's winter in Fairbanks. It may seem brutal, and frankly -60 is no piece of cake, but the glorious summers more than make up for it. We happily suffer through a few months of darkness for a summer of warm, dry temps and 24 hour sunlight.