Snowy November
Well here we are almost to the end of the month. November started out here with bare earth and we are ending up with 15 inches on the ground. According to the NWS FAI we are in the top 10 for snowy Novembers. Coming in at 8th place with and week left the possibility of moving up to 7th place. Here on the old stump ranch we have 31 inches recorded for snowfall. Most of it was in 1 week period were 2 storms back to back came out of Siberia and hit us from the NW quadrant. Coldest temps recorded so far was -23 below. So far state wide there has been no 30 below temps which we should be pushing. Looking ahead I see an mild winter here for Alaskan standards. Chucki Sea and the Bering Sea are still Ice free, Norton Sound is still open and not much shore fast ice along the coast.
The storm track is up long the Russian coast instead of across the gulf so those big storms been pumping warm air up into the artic area, Several times this month the freezing level along those tracks been as high as 14K ASL.
Along the chain they got hit with one storm couple days ago packing hurricane force winds. That storm is now in the Bering. Marine forecast last night show area having 50 foot seas. Ah the wonderful days of wind singing the rigging and the pleasure of sleeping on the deck as it was too rough to sleep in the bunk.
All for now
Keep an log on the fire and candle in the window
3 thoughts on “Snowy November”
50-foot seas… yikes. The biggest I can remember here in the Pacific Northwest were some 40-foot seas during the “Great Coastal Gale” of 2007, but we simply don’t get storms large and deep enough to generate waves above 50 feet.
Yes they can get nasty out there espically in the shallow waters of the Bering. I have seen waves on weather patrol back in the 60’s off of greeenland that were in the 60 to 80 foot ranges. Also in the lower lats roaring 40’s, blowing 50’s, and screaming 60’s. USCGC Eastwind lost it forward gun mount (5 in 38) when it buried it nose into one of those monsters as it was going south into the Anartic. I am sure we seen some other in northern lats in the typhoons and hurricans that I have had the pleasure to ride out at sea
Thanks for your November report John. Interesting pattern changes to the storms in the Bering Sea vs. Gulf of Alaska so far this fall/winter season. Will be watching for that pattern to either remain or change in the next few months. Keep up your great blog reports. Great information!!
Kevin