As forecast, a Chinook blew into Interior Alaska this past weekend, driving temps in Fairbanks up into the 40’s. It was +44F at 8am in the valley on Sunday morning. The average high on Halloween is +18F. Also, as expected, our dusting of snow became a few patches of white.
Further south in Alaska: The NWS station in Girdwood at Alyeska recorded 9.5″ of rain in a 24 hour period. Nearby Porter Glacier Visitor Center recorded 10.34″ of rain on Saturday. It is the first 10+ inch precipitation event in 24 hours in Alaska since 2012. The storm total at Portage Glacier was 17.72″, as of Sunday evening. The epicenter for this event is Mount Baker, which is just 75 miles east of Anchorage, but 13,000 feet higher. The forecast for the slopes of Mount Baker “Snow could be heavy at times”. SATURDAY AFTERNOON: 29-35″; SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY MORNING: 108-114″ Possible; SUNDAY AFTERNOON: 82-88″; SUNDAY NIGHT: 100% Chance of Snow, Heavy At Times.
Heli-skiing anyone?
November 3rd, 2021 at 11:50 PM
So a chinook is a wind, hence the name of the helicopter?
November 4th, 2021 at 6:47 PM
The term is from Western North America. The Coastal Chinook is warm & wet, some call it a Pineapple Express. The Interior Chinook is warm & dry. I believe wind, and the helicopter, developed by Boeing, is named after the Chinook Native American population of Washington State, as is Chinook Salmon.
November 4th, 2021 at 9:24 PM
Thank you 🙂