Return to St. George

When I left St. George two months ago I knew I would be coming back.  We had placed three acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCPs) on the seafloor to measure currents and wave heights.  But recovering the ADCPs in mid-November in the Bering Sea would be difficult; we might have to wait weeks for a good weather window.  So when we retrieved all three ADCPs in one afternoon the day after landing in St. George I felt like we had pulled off some sort of miracle, and in a way we did.  I downloaded the data from the ADCPs and can see that this was the first extended period of calm weather in St. George since they equipment was deployed.  

Weather in the Bering Sea in November can be downright frightful.  You probably have seen an episode of the show Deadliest Catch and know that this is not a place for casual boating, in fact the seas are so violent that the fisherman in St. George cannot leave their boats in the water as they would be destroyed by the surge that can exceed 5 feet IN THE HARBOR.

This year was no exception, and during the first week of November a huge storm rolled through as if right of cue.  This was NOAA's weather synopsis on November 5th:

Synopsis...A HURRICANE FORCE 951 MB LOW 380 NM WEST OF SAINT PAUL WEAKENS TO 956 MB AS IT MOVES NORTH TO FAR EASTERN RUSSIA WED NIGHT BEFORE SLOWLY WEAKENING THROUGH THU NIGHT.

Winds gusts were forecasted to reach as high as 75mph and seas could build to as big at 25ft.  That sounds scary, but what is really scary is this.  Our ADCP located approximately one mile off the coast from St. George recorded a significant wave height of 32 feet and a maximum wave height on November 7th of 48 feet!  I can't even image what a 48 foot wave looks like, nor do I have any desire to see a 48 foot wave.

Now with our equipment packed it’s just a matter of getting off the island.  Our flight yesterday was canceled due to strong crosswinds at the airport so we are booked to depart on Friday.  I guess it’s time to get caught up with things like organizing photos on my computer and writing on the blog.

 

This is the flight that brought us to the Island.  Check out the very appropriate painting on the fuselage

Jason and I exploring the island

Our equipment is packed and ready for shipment.  We don't travel light, those big totes weigh about 200Lbs each.

One of the ADCPs after retrieving it from the seafloor.

The Last of Summer

Stephanie and I on her dock on Lake Union

Today I believe is the first day this year that I have seen 80 degrees. And I think tomorrow will be the last of this hot spell. But I'm glad I made it back to Seattle while it's still warm. I'm making the most of it too since I'm not usually here!

Luckily I have a friend who lives on a cottage on a dock in Lake Union, so this afternoon I went for a swim off her dock. I was pleasantly surprised at the water temperature - it's amazing not being in Alaska!

On Wednesday I enjoyed hanging out on the beach for my friend Jennie's birthday. It's an easy life when the weather is predictably gorgeous every day. We are about to come very close to breaking the record for the longest stretch of days without rain in Seattle. I have to say, I'm actually a little glad I wasn't here for all of it - it's a lot of work to put sun screen on every day when you're as white as I am. I think by next week, I will be happy to see a cloud or two.

The birthday girl and her husband, frying up some beer-battered Alaskan halibut

Spring

Can you believe it's still February!?! Perhaps blossoms in the winter are only amazing to a girl from Alaska, but really, how can you complain about the weather when you can walk around in a T-shirt long before spring break? Two years ago I saw this same tree bloom in January.

Having grown up on Kodiak where winter starts September 1 and ends May 31, 72" of annual rain is normal, and hurricane-force winds are not unusual, I believe I have a unique appreciation for the mild weather of Seattle. The mere 36" of rain each year and the "grey gloom" don't phase me. In fact, I love it. In my book, it really doesn't rain much here - rarely do I see an entire day go by without a break in the rain. Quite honestly, I've come to realize that I just can't handle sun every day. The pale skin and light eyes can only take the rays in small doses. And after having lived in Fairbanks, I will gladly take a 40-degree rainy day over 40 below anytime.

Snow, Snow, Snow

Sunday morning snow

Yesterday morning I woke up to this. It snowed a tiny bit more today, but nothing serious. It was very icy this morning though but by this afternoon it had warmed up above freezing and the roads were looking pretty good. Today is appearing quite mellow compared to what is to come. They've been forecasting snow through Wednesday, but the forecasts continue to get more serious as Wednesday approaches. So far the city has kept the roads under control and I haven't heard of any major accidents.

The forecast has been saying that several inches of snow could fall Wednesday morning but would turn to rain (=Kodiak style slush) by afternoon. Now, some models are showing that instead, we could get 8-15 inches of snow!!! That is the kind of snow that doesn't happen often and is crippling to a city like this. Although it could mean awesome snowboarding at Stevens Pass (they're predicting 40-55 inches of snow on Wednesday alone), I'm honestly not looking forward to it. It means buses basically won't be running (they will but good luck trying to actually get anywhere), the roads will be dangerous (with that much snow, it will take some time before the plows make it to arterial streets), and mountain passes will probably be closed (read: no snowboarding). These conditions make it very difficult for me to get to campus. We'll see what happens, but if it really does dump over a foot early Wednesday morning, I'm betting campus will be closed. Tomorrow though I think I'll have to tough it out waiting for a bus out on Lake City - wearing good boots and a warm jacket and giving myself plenty of extra time to get there. In the meantime it's been nice to spend two days at home working on prep for my class, other research, and canning.

Ryan has been out in the mountains every day this weekend, including today. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday he was taking an Avalanche class in Snoqualmie Pass. Today he left at 4:30 in the morning with other Seattle Mountain Rescue volunteers to drive to Mt. Rainier National Park to help with a search for a missing snowshoer. The snowshoer had been missing since Saturday, so I was relieved to read in the news just a little while ago that he was found alive - cold, but okay. Glad to hear a good ending to that story and so glad there are so many capable and dedicated rescue volunteers like Ryan.

Rain Rain Rain

Dad and I relaxing in the new recliners

I'm not convinced the Rapture isn't happening in Kodiak; it's time to prepare the ark. It's been raining so hard since last night that the entire yard is a puddle as you can see. I did make it into Kodiak though, as did everyone else on our crew. Now our problem is going to be getting out of Kodiak and down to Karluk Lake in a Beaver (float plane). We were supposed to leave at 11 this morning, but that is definitely not happening. We're supposed to call the pilot again at 1 for a check-in, but I am sure we won't be leaving today, and probably not tomorrow either. It's disappointing to be stuck in town, but on the other hand, it would not be fun to be camping and working in this weather.

The good thing about all this rain is that the rivers and really high. The Karluk River is a pretty shallow river, and even though we'll be going down it with two inflatable canoes over the next two weeks, we've heard that most of the time it is so shallow you have to pull your rafts. Hopefully the water will be high enough now that we'll actually be able to float.

The only break in the doom and gloom forecast isn't until Friday. Hopefully we make it out of here before then!

Is it spring yet?

Miles and Ryan working in the yard

Miles exploring our back yard

It definitely LOOKS like spring in Seattle - everything is in bloom and our lawn needs to be mowed every week. It has yet to really feel warm though. Apparently I'm not imaging that it is colder than normal, according to Cliff Mass this IS the coldest spring on record for Seattle. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (too much). I am, after all, from Alaska. The short, mild winters of the Pacific Northwest have definitely grown on me though.

Tomorrow it is supposed to reach the mid-60's and I am excited! We haven't had a single 60-degree day yet in April, which is very unusual. Tomorrow is it though, after that it's supposed to be back to the 50's and rainy. I will most definitely be riding my bike to campus tomorrow, shorts and all. I break out the shorts a little too early every spring, but I just keep hoping if I dress for summer bike riding, it will be summer. That's how it works, right?

Last weekend our friend Kayla and her son Miles came over to hang out. It was beautiful and sunny and now that Miles knows how to open doors, we couldn't keep him inside. It was fun to play with him outside now that he can walk and run around like a busy bee, but you can see from the sweatshirts that it was still a little chilly.

(Slightly) More Snow

The light blanket of snow and sunshine that I woke up to this morning

This morning there was just a tiny bit more snow than there was the day before. By the time I left the house at 8:30 it had all melted off the road. All the buses had chains on, which were completely unnecessary at that point, but I'm sure the roads would have been horrible if they hadn't put chains on. That's how those things always go, right?

I've heard a lot of whining and complaining (mostly from online comments on newspaper articles, etc.) about how wrong the forecasters were about snow in Seattle. I suppose they did over-estimate the amount of snow we actually got, but EVERYWHERE around Seattle got dumped on, just not Seattle. I think people have a bit of a misconception that forecasters should always be able to get it right. It sounds like they had it right for surrounding areas though. I don't mind not getting snowed on though and I don't blame the city for being over-prepared for the threat of snow. I enjoyed this article that explained why Seattle stayed nearly dry and outlying areas got up to 12" of snow.

It's supposed to be sunny for the next couple of days and then back to the usual 40 degree, rainy weather that we all know and love. I look forward to riding my bike without having to worry about ice on the roads!

Snow Update

The extent of our snow this morning

Ryan and John, already sore from one day of powder skiing at Stevens Pass

I was a little disappointed this morning that not much snow had fallen or stuck during the night. It was 35 degrees, and as I expected, there was no ice on the road and my bus was running on schedule. It was actually fairly nice here throughout the day but it did start to snow lightly off and on after about 5pm. As of now it is still too warm for the snow to stick or for ice to form on the roads. The temps are supposed to drop overnight and the national weather service is saying 2-4 inches of accumulation in Seattle.

Even though we've hardly had any snow in Seattle proper, some neighboring counties have gotten hammered. I've heard reports of between 6 and 12 inches in some places. It is pretty hard to image that places within 20 minutes of where we live have so much snow right now! I understand the patterns of where snow fell today have to do with the precipitation shadow of the Olympic mountains. I've been fascinated reading this weather blog. The author is a professor of meteorology at UW.

Ryan and John left on their road trip today. They made it over Snoqualmie pass just fine today with the help of chains. It is cold out in Idaho, but I am sure they are going to have great skiing conditions tomorrow in Sand Point!

Impending Snow-Induced Chaos and Biking in the Snow

Very wet and cold after my ride home in the snow

It has been snowing off and on today and it is forecasted to continue through tomorrow with accumulation of up to 3 inches in Seattle. This of course means mass chaos will break out tomorrow morning as people try to go to work without 4-wheel drive and without studded tires. I am interested to see how much snow we actually get. At the moment it's a little too warm for the snow to stick, but that will probably change overnight. If there really is snow on the ground in the morning I probably won't go to school. My bike is not equipped with snow tires and the buses are not a good bet on a snow day. I'm glad I have the option to stay home.

Ryan and John are supposed to be leaving tomorrow to drive to Idaho and then Montana for a skiing/visiting family and friends trip. I hope they make it out of Seattle and over the pass! When they do, I'm sure the skiing will be awesome on their trip! It's supposed to snow for the next two days in both Idaho and Montana and then be sunny on Friday and Saturday.

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Two weeks ago I started biking to school but last week due to bad weather and other events I only rode one day. Despite skipping most of my commutes last week, I can already tell that I am in much better shape than I was three weeks ago. I've been running twice a week, one short run on my own or with Ryan, and one long run with friends from school. I also swim once a week. This type of cross-training has been working well for me for the last two years. I've had some hip pain, and I always have knee pain, so running more than twice a week isn't really an option for me. Today I felt AWESOME on my bike ride home, despite the cold and snow. Feeling the results of getting in shape so quickly has given me great motivation to continue biking to school!