January 23,1971
Forty seven years ago on this date the coldest temperature was recorded in Alaska. Temperature reach down to 80 below zero. Was quite an frosty morning in the maintenance camp of Jim’s Camp which was 1000 feet below and .9 miles Prospect Creek from which the cold dense air pour down from. There is a bit of implication as to that reading of -79 degrees was not official as it was on an VP2 which both NWS and Davis said it could not happen as it was out of specs. Unlike the new Davis VP2 with sensor that shut off at -40 and ISS shuts down at -40. Of which I have seen and can attest to. Even after sun up the unit did not send data at -40 so it was not the battery. the old analog units could get down to lower temps. Here is the kicker the ASOS station at Prospect Creek did not send any data during that time period. In fact it was for 3 days with no data from that station (PAPR). So how did the NWS really get what is called the official temperature of -80. Infra red pix from satellite data showed temps in the vicinity of -70-to -74. But that is surface temps and not at 5-6 foot above it. Guess we will have to let other come away with there opinion. Myself I say it happen as the old Davis unit said it did. This same cold moved south and set record cold in the lower 48. Several area had -40 temps after it moved south.
Now to this morning in SW Alaska folks got the shakes around 0030 as an 7.9 Quake south of the trench released it energy . The quake was an slip/strike quake instead of an mega thrust type that could have made things get a bit exciting along the coast. An sea buoy close to the area did measure an displacement wave of 32 feet but at Kodiak they measured only an 14 inch wave from the quake. Up here in the interior nothing was felt but Anchorage got shaken up. Kodiak measured approx. 90 sec of shaking. With that long of a period of shake you head for the high ground and forget about catching fish that get stranded.
Weather wise here we been have off and on snow showers. Mostly during the evening hours even tho yesterday Fairbanks was getting good snowfall while we were there. Roads are still glazed ice from the rain a week ago. Need an chinook to melted it off. Stratus layer is keeping us warmer then the central Interior region where night time temps are still falling below the -40 mark.
Station Data here
Temp minus 17 F
DWPT minus 22 F
Humidity 79%
Station pressure 30.24 in/hg
Soil Temp 31 F
Soil Moisture 200
stay warm and healthy, Keep an log on the fire.
John
For your interest:
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/Alaska-Science-Forum/alaskas-all-time-cold-record-turns-40?keys=