Is it snow in Alaska? Of course it does. But the reality of receiving the snowfall amount, Alaska, is much different than the popular concept of the snow in Alaska.
Many people think of Alaska as a barren land where it always snows again in large quantities and where everyone lives in igloos. Such a concept makes Alaska sound like a cold and white surfaces.
In reality, Alaska, more lakes, rivers and green trees than any state in the U.S. The state is intensely greenand extend almost the whole year. But the rain and the snow overall payment can be much less than you might think.
Alaska Snowfall Totals
Here are some average annual precipitation and snowfall totals for a cross section of Alaska.
Anchorage --- 15.37 "precip ---- 69.0" snowfall
Barrow ------- 4.67 "----------- 28.0 "
Fairbanks ---- 10.37 "----------- 68.0 "
------- 24.93 Homer "----------- 58.0 "
Juneau ------ 52.86 "-----------101.0 "
McGrath ----- 16.18 "----------- 93.0 "
Nome -------- 15.64 "----------- 56.0 "
Valdes ------- 61.50 "----------- 320.0 "
For comparison, Buffalo, NY, receives an average of 80 "to 100" of snow per year. Some sections of upstate New York, are also affected by their proximity to the Great Lakes to get an average of 150 "per year to 200" snowfall. Hooker, NY, received 466 cm of snow in the winter 1976-1977.
MinneapolisMinnesota, received their heaviest seasonal snowfall total of 98 "in winter 1983-1984.
As you can see from the Alaska totals above, most of Alaska is relatively dry, with less than 20 "of precipitation per year. The South Central and southeastern coastal areas receive far more rainfall.
Far to the north of Alaska receives water is typical of a desert. Our Barrow's annual total of only 4.67 "of moisture. Of course, the bulk of which will fall intoThe form of snow. Because the ice beneath the earth and the lack of intense drying sunshine runoff and evaporation are minimal. That is why northern Alaska is not a dry desert despite the small amounts of rainfall.
Alaska Snowfall Records
It is always interesting to hear about extremes and they can certainly be found in Alaska. For example, Thompson Pass, a popular extreme ski and snowboard area north of Valdez, once received a record 974.5 "of snow during theWinter 1952-1953.
Thompson Pass recorded 62 cm snow in a single 24-hour period in December 1955. In February 1953 Thompson Pass received a record 297.9 cm of snow. That is nearly 25 inches of snow in just one month!
The deepest snow recorded in Alaska, and the deepest in North America, joined Wolverine Glacier on the Kenai Peninsula in winter 1976-1977. The depth was 356. "It's packed, condensed snow. Almost 30 feetdeep!
By comparison, Barrow, in the dry north, received a record minimum amount of snow in the winter 1935-1936 by only 3 ".
Here are a few other extremes for the entire rainfall. Montague Iceland in 1976 was a record 332.29 "of precipitation. This is almost an inch of rain per day! On the other hand, Barrow received only 1.61", the rainfall in all of 1935.
Alaska stores an immense amount of fresh water in its glaciers. An astonishing 75% of theWorld's fresh water held in glaciers worldwide and Alaska holds more than its fair share.
Alaska has more than 5,000 glaciers, more than 100,000 square miles. Alaska has more glaciers than the rest of the world combined, excluding the ice fields of Antarctica and Greenland.
Valdez, the Switzerland of the North
Valdez is located on the coast of Southcentral Alaska and receives an average of more than 300 inches of snow per year. Usually it's 6 feetpushes the snow on rooftops. The canyon a few miles north of Valdez is home to several frozen waterfalls and make Valdez a world-class destination for ice climbers.
Thompson Pass, north of Valdez, boasts some of the best helicopter reached extreme skiing and snowboarding terrain in North America. No wonder, Valdez was in the North as the "Switzerland."
Each year, Valdez has a winter carnival. During the period of 1990, the Winter CarnivalSnowfall last year the 500 "mark. During the winter celebration of the city showed the movie" Back to the Beach "on a 20 feet by 18 feet" screen "which they had carved from a bank of snow. Talk about an outdoor drive-in theater!
What is snow?
Snow is crystalline frozen ice and the size and shape of the crystals depends on the temperature of their formation and the amount of water vapor, which in the formation.
Pure snow crystals are hexagonal, one-sixth.The basic water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom and forms a triangle with three equal sides. During crystallization each new bud is formed ice crystal at a 60 degree angle. Crystallization continues until 6 of these triangles are complete. Since the Crystal Falls through the atmosphere it becomes bigger and bigger and its six-sided structure is the framework for complex snowflakes.
Common forms of snowflakes as stars, needles, flat planes,Columns Columns limited, dendrites, and irregular groups. Some snowflakes can be as large as 1 "in diameter.
For one of the most interesting human stories about snowflake research, consider that of Wilson Bentley. He received the nickname "Snowflake" Bentley, because he the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885. He studied over 5000 snowflakes and said that no two snowflakes are exactly alike, a quote that has been passed down from generation to generationremained anonymous.
Died in 1931, the year that Snowflake Bentley, he published a book entitled, Snow Crystals. The book contains over 2400 pictures of Snowflake Bentley.
How Many Eskimo Words For Snow Are There?
It has been said that there are 52 words in the Eskimo, Inuit, or Yupik language for snow. It has also been said that there are 21 words, and it has also been said that over 400 Where is the truth?
The idea is that since the snow soimportant in the lives of indigenous peoples in the north that describe a variety of words, it is the level of myth must be achieved. The truth of the matter is that there are probably about as many Eskimo words for snow, as English words for snow.
Alaska Climate Changes
Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, "Alaska is harder hit by global climate change than anywhere in the world." Global warming is a trend for many years, but show only very few placeshow many episodes of the trend, as well as Alaska. The average temperature has risen nearly 7 degrees in the past 30 years.
The changes due to global warming, for example, mean that the permafrost in Fairbanks and other cities is no longer permanent. Country was stability by melting permafrost and hydraulic presses are many buildings are necessary to enable them level. Further north, in Barrow, there are now mosquitoes where once were none.
In the coastal villageShishmaref increasingly higher water has eroded the land beneath the village buildings. The village may have to relocate further inland.
Spruce bark beetles have killed 4 million hectares of white spruce forests on the picturesque Kenai Peninsula, the greatest devastation by insects ever in North America. The beetles are able to double their normal due to higher summer temperatures to reproduce. The dead trees represent a significant fire hazard aroundmany populated areas and prime recreational sections are threatened.
Glaciers have been retreating at an incredible rate. Portage Glacier south of Anchorage, has so much in the last 20 years back that it is no longer visible from the visitor center. Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound is currently the world's fastest moving glacier, retreating 80 to 115 meters per day. It has withdrawn more than 6 miles since 1982.
There's a lot of glaciers and significantMade snow in Alaska, but changes to an increased rate and will have worldwide implications.
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