Winter has returned
Winter has returned to western Alaska with a vengeance.
For several weeks the temperatures in and around the village of Eek have been extraordinarily mild with temperatures hovering in the mid to upper thirties.
Eek School, early December 2013
As you can see in this picture, taken last week, the snow had almost entirely melted. I walked to the village store that day with just a jacket on. I didn’t need gloves, snow pants or a hat. A dozen or more children were playing in and around the area that day.
My wife, Lorraine, commented that the temperature at our home near Chehalis, in Washington State were much colder with freezing weather and snow on the ground.
Today in this part of Alaska the weather has returned to a much more normal state. The sky may be blue, but the current temperature is 5 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of – 12. I won’t be going to the store today and, I suspect, most children will be playing inside.