The equinox is here, and that means winter is knocking at the door for interior and northern Alaska. This morning there was freezing fog in Tanana, and the waning sun didn't lift the temperature above freezing until 1pm local time (11am solar time). It was a lovely day after that (46°F currently), but the writing is on the wall.
Here's the transformation over the space of 30 minutes when the fog finally burned off in Tanana:
The scene will be turning wintry in the hills around Fairbanks tonight, according to the NWS:
319 PM AKDT Wed Sep 21 2022 ...Snow Possible Tonight With Accumulation Above 1000 Feet... A mix of rain and snow is expected across the Eastern Interior tonight, including Fairbanks. Areas above 1000 foot elevation could see 1 to 2 inches of snow accumulation. No snow accumulation is expected in Fairbanks. Motorists traveling the Steese, Richardson, Taylor and the Alaska Highways should be prepared for winter driving conditions tonight through Thursday morning.
This afternoon's sounding from Fairbanks shows the rather shallow layer of low-level air above freezing: it won't take much to get snow in this situation.
These colors at Cleary Summit on the Steese Highway (2234' elevation) are on the way out:
Thanks Richard for the prescient Blog. We locals have resigned ourselves to yet another winter that appears to have some cold traction (TNX La Nina). Unless there happens what used to be called an "Indian Summer" (search that at the Chicago Tribune's old pages), it's lights out and fuel the stove season coming.
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