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Monday, December 29, 2008

«Snow Dump»

Yesterday it snowed 2-3 feet in the morning and into the afternoon. We had a few inches before that, but damn...

It's unusual for us to get this much snow here in Ketchikan, Alaska. Sure, you think "Alaska" and figure it's normal. Well, not for this part of Alaska. The last time we had this much was in 1999. We're more of a brief-snowstorm-turns-into-rain type of place, normally.

It had snowed quite a bit after I took this photo. This is my dad's driveway, and that's my dad's Toyota Prius in the picture. It was completely cleared off earlier in the morning. The picture doesn't show very well just how deep the snow really is.
Driveway covered in snow, Toyota Prius buried.

Click image to view full

I stepped out into it this morning and the snow level was above my knees when I was trudging around in it. We spent until 3:00 clearing snow from our driveway and road so my dad could go to work (he works 4:00 to midnight). I tag along with him on Sundays to get to town and my mom's place. Most of the snow clearing wasn't just by hand, either. Sure, there was some shoveling by hand, but my dad's Kubota trackhoe, as well as a neighbor's bulldozer were working at it as well. Even with all that, we weren't sure we'd make it in time.

Here's my dad's truck and Kubota buried in the snow. This photo was taken at about the same time the photo above was (around 11:30 AM on December 28, 2008).
Driveway covered in snow, Toyota Prius buried.
Click image to view full

The day before, my dad took his Toyota Prius to work (it has studded snow tires), but he was dragging bottom a little as it was. So yesterday he took his 4-wheel drive Ford truck.

The snow wasn't as deep in town, but it's still plenty deep enough. Someone was kind enough to make a pass on the sidewalk with a snowblower, so it wasn't too bad of a walk from my dad's workplace to my mom's house. I noticed the corners of my trench coat were dragging on the edge of the path, leaving a little swerve trail behind me as it blew in the wind. It would have been dragging behind me if the path wasn't there. The last bit was the worst, because the weather changed to wind-driven ice pellets. (And of course, I was walking directly into the wind.)

And the worst part of it is, there's snow in the forecast every day for at least the next week.

Posted by Marf at 2:41 AM Email Post
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8 comments:

  1. If I remember rightly this is an el nino or a la nina year (I can never rem,ember which is which) and one of the effects of that change in the ocean pattern is thought to be increased winter precipitation in the north.

    Must say I was surprised at you saying you dont normally get that much snow. It shows how much of a stereotype I must have thinking about Alaska. Next thing you will be telling me that your all usually walking round in bathing suits at this time of year.
    ReplyDelete
  2. @ Bunc: Nope, no bathing suits. Alaska is so big that we have different regions with their own unique weather. This is Southeast Alaska. We're a bunch of islands down here, so the ocean regulates our temperature petty well.

    Even in the winter, it is usually warm enough to rain if it is cloudy. You go much further North than Ketchikan, and you'll see more and more snow. Our weather is really more like a rainier Seattle, Washington (just a little colder).

    And no, we don't live in igloos, either. lol
    ReplyDelete
  3. Whats the fishing like there Marf? I bet it's brilliant eh?
    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Bunc: I'm not much into fishing. But yeah, this is a fishing town.
    ReplyDelete
  5. Is that Fishing as in going out with rod and line to catch salmon and trout or going out with a big boat and net and scooping everything up - or both?
    ReplyDelete
  6. @ Bunc: Both. We have commercial fishermen here as well as people in their personal boats.
    ReplyDelete
  7. HI Marf,

    Monique told me to check out your snow pics. I thought those pictures looked alot like us here in Wisconsin. We set new records for the month of December here. I am sure you did too. Hope you don't mind me popping in to check them out.
    ReplyDelete
  8. @ Nikki: Why would I mind? I want visitors. I wouldn't put it on the internet if I didn't.

    Thanks for checking them out.
    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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