Bill Witte

Well, this is a surprising little snow squall. Moderate to heavy snow, about 1” to 1 1/2” accumulation so far with gusts up to 26 mph and 10°F on Keystone Ridge at 8:30pm. Forecast kept calling for less snow and I wondered if we’d get any at all… #MyAlaskaWx
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/116/010/729/073/182/185/original/3b29f2efae10246c.mp4

2026-02-04 00:02:14 GMT

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Could you do this with MODIS surface temp comparing valleys and highland ridges? (Depending on how far back MMODUS goes and how far forward the data is available).

2026-02-03 20:02:02 GMT

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Is there a metric for days of inversion or depth of inversion? How long have soundings been taken at Fairbanks?

2026-01-24 23:07:14 GMT

It’s a good day for Fata Morgana as density variations of the cold stratified air around Fairbanks distort Mts on the horizon. #myalaskawx #mirage #FataMorgana
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2026-01-22 22:50:38 GMT

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Max for today. (I rounded up). Probably gettin some from below horizontal via reflection, I’ll take it - a watt’s a watt.

2026-01-22 22:27:29 GMT

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Yes, very sunny, and clear. Sun only 6° above horizon today at 1:30pm local.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/941/093/559/765/610/original/038a57a835aaf20c.jpeg

2026-01-16 23:44:17 GMT

A potent slug of cold air flowing up Goldstream Creek from the west in the last 30 minutes dropping temperatures about 1°F/minute and bringing in dense valley fog. @npub1ygf…tutr #myalaskawx
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/907/407/520/384/542/original/5ea26ada1d7bdafc.jpeg
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2026-01-13 19:29:50 GMT

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🎂

2026-01-12 17:34:53 GMT

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🤔 What conditions favor this? Persistent low interior AK temperatures usually need stable high pressure and clear skies, but that blocks storms from the interior. How’d the moisture find its way in? But I’m loving the fluffy powdery snow we have been getting. Beats “concrete from the sky” any day.

2026-01-11 17:59:43 GMT

12°F, light SE wind and heavy to moderate snow on Keystone Ridge, about 10” storm total so far. On radar it looks like a snow river shooting up the Nenana Canyon. #MyAlaskaWx
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/877/753/363/915/915/original/8def7fd412ffdc71.mp4

2026-01-10 23:57:25 GMT

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Similarly for Keystone Ridge with the exception of Christmas Eve 2025 when we got up to 4°F.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/873/501/286/716/612/original/1cd13e4c15070042.jpeg

2026-01-09 17:26:35 GMT

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Speaking of wildlife we had a report from a reputable observer of a “winter bear” (a black bear) up and foraging on Dec 28, near Sherman and Abraham Rd.

2026-01-09 17:21:18 GMT

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How’s the snowpack doing? Only 16” yesterday on Keystone Ridge. Deep cold plus thin snowpack doesn’t bode well for buried pipes (or hibernating wildlife). AKDOT temperature depth probe (TPS) data shows (literally) deep cold. Below shows temperature (°F) vs. Depth (surface to 72 inch) from the Parks Hwy at the Chena River. Subsurface is frozen with a relatively low conductivity-full effect won’t be seen until May/June.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/866/249/565/984/615/original/0af5b6054d824dc2.jpeg

2026-01-07 15:58:11 GMT

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Warmer in the valleys this morning.

2026-01-06 19:05:13 GMT

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Sullivan and Begich are actively trying to forget. Tried to call AK Congress reps to remind them of their failures to respond to the insurrection and both Begich and Sullivan constituent phone lines had been suspended. Murkowski’s was working.

2026-01-06 16:52:48 GMT

Light fine snow, 0.5-2mm columnar crystals, with about 3/4” accumulation since late afternoon yesterday. Thin overcast with a faint waning gibbous moon at 7:30am and -8°F with a light north breeze. #myalaskawx

2026-01-05 19:50:00 GMT

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Nice!

2026-01-03 16:16:26 GMT

We’re enjoying a full moon up all day and night spinning around the horizon taking a similar route as the summer midnight sun.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/832/045/562/018/113/original/a474307c63bc8c43.jpeg

2026-01-03 07:01:43 GMT

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Reality test for us folks in the cheap seats: Is the December Average the arithmetic average of 31 averages of the daily high and daily low?

2026-01-02 21:57:54 GMT

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Looks like most recent top-ten-coldest was 1999? Last century.

2026-01-01 08:41:46 GMT

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Wow, dedicated observer.

2025-12-30 23:38:26 GMT

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Thanks. Went to town and cold air was still pooled into -30°F discrete blobs in Spinach, Moose, and Goldstream Creeks - town was warmer and hardly foggy at all.

2025-12-30 22:33:58 GMT

Dark cloud bank has settled south of Fbks during the last couple days. Sun pops over the very sharp top for about 30 min at solar noon. Tops are considerably higher than hills (~5000ft?) Is there a higher thermal layer? @npub1ygf…tutr
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/810/874/551/847/080/original/a33c24cd85a377e9.jpeg
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/810/874/623/156/368/original/77b3ed6e20345dc6.jpeg

2025-12-28 23:27:44 GMT

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on the other hand, St Louis MO, record high 78°F (which will change shortly).

2025-12-23 01:06:30 GMT

Waxing (8%) crescent moon over the Alaska Range.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/766/179/330/986/592/original/730bc0d5cf8662e8.jpeg

2025-12-21 22:12:43 GMT

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Sunrise Solstice 2025. Sharpness of the Alaska Range is surprising.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/759/837/401/436/078/original/9de175d2719ee3f8.jpeg
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2025-12-21 18:44:43 GMT

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With an unsurprising increase in pm2.5 variance on purple air.com. Valley stations generally record higher values due to stratified, unmixed air. My station records the timing on fires in our masonry heater.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/759/016/287/581/388/original/6b21841aef4a0a86.jpeg
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2025-12-19 20:50:25 GMT

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The blind man and the elephant.

2025-12-17 17:50:43 GMT

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Scientific truth is intolerable because it shows no loyalty to the autocrat. Beyond disasters caused by Rumsfeldian unknown unknowns are the disasters born from intentional “don’t wanna know” unknowns.

2025-12-17 02:48:40 GMT

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Hazy ice crystal mist all day.

2025-12-17 02:47:15 GMT

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Fbks inversion is weak over the local hills - why’s that?

2025-12-15 19:12:07 GMT

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There is often a noticeable 5-10°F gradient in still air between ground level and the thermometer at 20ft above the ground. I’ve also felt micro-pockets (say 100 yard diameter) of cold air floating around in valleys.

2025-12-11 09:15:39 GMT

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Goldstream Creek not far behind tonight.

2025-12-08 21:25:11 GMT

Wind has calmed down on Keystone Ridge and temp is rising, might break zero degrees F as the air column restratifies - just like salad dressing bottle if you stop shaking it. Enjoying near horizontal yellow sunshine and clear skies this solar noon. #myalaskawx

2025-12-07 22:03:23 GMT

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We’re inviting all the St Lawrencians to the Golden Heart City for the SPF.

2025-12-07 20:22:36 GMT

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With our recent winds the trees are similarly bare of snow now.

2025-12-07 20:19:42 GMT

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Holy tie-down Batman! Keeping light aircraft safe in that wind will be a challenge.

2025-12-06 17:56:39 GMT

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Related? Has NWS recovered from DOGE yet in AK? https://wapo.st/48mGeZ1 #WarOnScience

2025-12-06 17:32:54 GMT

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Noisy overnight wind from the northeast on Keystone Ridge kept the temp above -10°F while not sacrificing the wintry vibe.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/673/798/281/370/462/original/ef260c4e5909ea92.jpeg

2025-12-05 23:54:51 GMT

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In Kelvins it’s only about a 4% error.

2025-12-05 18:15:26 GMT

Stratified cold calm air in Goldstream Valley. Not quite “…locked tight as a drum” yet - but give it a couple weeks.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/668/301/603/249/318/original/6f9b4432f118bf6f.jpeg

2025-12-04 04:53:31 GMT

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Yup. Bright moon on fresh snow.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/659/480/293/462/321/original/993b6483ec1b0bf2.jpeg

2025-12-04 00:07:06 GMT

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Local permafrost appreciates the effort.

2025-12-02 19:11:31 GMT

29°F, calm winds,overcast with 90% RH at 9:30am on Keystone Ridge. Sure feels like snow but no flakes yet. Maybe all we get is a vigorous hoar frost? #MyAlaskaWx

2025-12-01 01:15:50 GMT

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I’ve faith that predictable path of the sun, clear skies, and thermodynamics will prevail. As I remember (probably from your posts) we do have a diminishing probability of achieving “long cold snaps”. “More than X days below Y degrees” or similar.

2025-11-29 19:17:50 GMT

#sunrise
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2025-11-27 17:20:08 GMT

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Mercalli 5, so far.

2025-11-26 21:56:11 GMT

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Commercial outfits agree. But they’re just repackaged public data with fees and advertising. No value added (well, pretty colors).
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/618/223/965/005/923/original/c89d0959ebb2574b.png

2025-11-26 20:41:45 GMT

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But during these low sun-angle days if you put the sun in that narrow slit of a window…I call that a 💯 “sunny day”. Sunlight’s oblique passage through the atmosphere is hard to describe-especially via those robot observers. Thank goodness for the likes of Sydney Laurence

2025-11-22 16:02:14 GMT

The public safety net continues to thin out. Fewer slices of swiss cheese and more holes. https://www.arrl.org/news/skywarn-recognition-day-2025-cancelled

2025-11-11 06:19:57 GMT

Starting to see more moose tracks and actual visitors in the Keystone Ridge neighborhood. About 4 yrs ago we had a big drop in tracks and numbers - good to see them come back.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/529/599/395/042/392/original/86a5e4c02cb721b2.mp4

2025-11-02 12:04:48 GMT

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Seemed like another cloudy month or maybe just the mood?

2025-11-02 11:50:44 GMT

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The fluffy, slow, light flakes of yore.

2025-10-31 20:18:18 GMT

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weird weather

2025-10-29 17:55:29 GMT

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https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/458/724/932/777/566/original/592eca1f5faa0fe0.jpeg

2025-10-29 16:38:51 GMT

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Clear skies also brought some good Aurora viewing last night.

2025-10-26 15:22:39 GMT

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Seems like October has continued the cloudy trend from September. Shielded from the coastal storms we’ve not been very snowy/rainy in the interior and the clouds have kept us from cooling at night with mostly non-inverted temperatures. I’m not missing the ice storms … but the season is still young.

2025-10-16 21:14:23 GMT

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Remarkably different trend lines.

2025-10-13 03:30:07 GMT

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That was a striking wind shift and warmup starting at about 11am this morning.

2025-10-11 16:27:46 GMT

29°F, light breeze from the east on Keystone Ridge at 8:15am. A light skiff of snow on ridges and domes persists from yesterday’s flurries along with fog clinging to Ester and Murphy Domes.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/115/356/456/774/845/847/original/f6f0c76feb23cea6.jpeg

2025-10-09 05:18:59 GMT

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After a rainy grey day a strong southwest wind is sweeping low clouds off the ridges in Fairbanks this evening. The just-past-full moon has been peeking out dramatically over Keystone Ridge. #MyAlaskaWx

2025-10-03 20:01:00 GMT

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About 1” on Keystone Ridge in fog at 7am. SW wind picked up (gusting to 20 mph) and temp bumped up from 32°F to 35°F with wet snow changing into rain. Noticed a small GVEA outage along MDR on the way into town.

2025-10-03 19:54:55 GMT

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😬

2025-10-02 23:05:36 GMT

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Thank you for the radio segments 🙏

2025-10-02 22:01:22 GMT

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How did cloudiness in Fbks during Sept ‘25 compare with an average year? Seemed a bit gloomy, but there might have been other factors.

2025-09-29 03:11:57 GMT

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No problem, AI will fill in the missing data

2025-09-17 22:29:43 GMT

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Wow!

2025-09-14 16:37:22 GMT

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Seems like the (slightly) warmer air is laying in the valleys for now.

2025-09-13 17:34:19 GMT

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Noticed that mPing does not admit the possibility of snow or wintry-mix. Are the options available by date or temp? @npub1ygf…tutr

2025-09-13 09:30:59 GMT

Mixed rain/snow at 1600’ on Keystone Ridge at 1:30am. 34°F with fog and calm winds. #MyAlaskaWeather

2025-09-11 17:14:57 GMT

44°F, calm winds and very foggy on Keystone Ridge at 9am with off and on rain last night. #myalaskawx

2025-09-08 16:55:24 GMT

A good reminder that prosecution of the Whittier Alaskans is brought to you by the same imperial racism championed by William McKinley at the start of the 20th century. Those who want to rename Denali seek return to american imperial racism. https://www.adn.com/opinions/2025/09/06/opinion-drop-the-case-against-whittier-residents/

2025-08-31 02:56:50 GMT

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Like most of these records, this one seems to have fat tails — with occasional extreme events. Very annoying.

2025-08-31 02:08:01 GMT

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Why?

2025-08-30 19:09:48 GMT

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Near the solstice the lack of relief from heat in the evening can sometimes be oppressive. Is there a significant trend in summer dew points in the interior?

2025-08-25 17:52:33 GMT

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Two day total on Keystone Ridge was 2.55”. (1.22” and 1.33” on 8/24 & 25, respectively). A little soggy here now. Fire danger is low.

2025-08-22 20:45:29 GMT

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Whitehorse, YT looking good next week. 🇨🇦

2025-08-20 22:18:20 GMT

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Not felt in our house on bedrock ridge. Fairbanks needs a good detailed strong motion acceleration map. Motion is amplified on sediments and filled ground. Areas of susceptible soils could be identified.

2025-08-20 17:55:24 GMT

Rain mist and fog, with a southwest breeze and 46°F on Keystone Ridge at 9:30am. Clear sky last night gave way to dense fog at dawn. Small patches of blue sky visible now. #myalaskawx

2025-08-19 20:05:33 GMT

Parks Hwy from Healy to Broad Pass on a recent sunny summer day was a constant aviation noise-scape. A couple Super Cubs but many more zoomy light and medium twins and high-end turboprops. Denali Borough will find it tough balancing conflicting values. https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/public-meetings-seek-feedback-on-denali-borough-airports/article_9086f558-348e-4967-8ffd-c7ebf1b9202a.html#tncms-source=login #NationalParks #GeneralAviation

2025-08-08 22:41:07 GMT

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I’ve found Andrew Gray’s podcast helpful. He’s been interviewing Alaskan journalists who are gathering and reporting news in Alaska. He’s such a great interviewer. He mainly deals with political news, we need similar conversations on science and climate adaptation. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-anchorage-book-club-with-andrew-gray/id1592614366

2025-08-08 22:22:35 GMT

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Likewise: When is it unethical to provide information to social media platforms allied with the regime, such as, X, FB, TickTock, Instagram, and others?

2025-08-08 19:02:44 GMT

52°F, cloudy bright, with light rain mist and calm winds at 10am on Keystone Ridge. #MyAlaskaWx

2025-08-07 00:54:27 GMT

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Whew, I t’s a warm one today (8/6).

2025-08-04 17:43:10 GMT

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A good time of year to drive the Dempster Hwy. #VacationCanada

2025-08-02 17:11:44 GMT

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Variable on a kilometer and quarter-hour scales in the interior. Micro showers. Were hail reports elevated?

2025-07-31 06:19:40 GMT

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Watching the NWS/NOAA data management infrastructure crumble in real time.

2025-07-27 20:34:11 GMT

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With an increased haze visible when viewing hills and distant Mtns.

2025-07-25 18:37:09 GMT

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This seesaw after a lot of resources have started to demobe. Been listening to a lot of back haul flights this last week. Nenana Ridge had a local Met team so I’m guessing they will not be easily fooled.

2025-07-24 06:20:13 GMT

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If we can keep doing 8-10 ha/yr burns in the Goldstream Valley without the fires getting out of control we might escape without the whole valley exploding. I was hoping the weather would let managers direct the Nenana Ridge complex fires up the valley a little longer. #FireAdaptation #WildlandFire

2025-07-22 04:04:59 GMT

https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/feature-articles/study-shows-citizen-scientists-crucial-observing-rain-snow-during-storms?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=earthdata-discovery-072025 @npub1ygf…tutr Is this a thing in Alaska?

2025-07-21 19:26:35 GMT

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The rains have helped.
https://alaskansocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/114/892/856/788/336/609/original/39249dbb5c4a258e.jpeg

2025-07-16 16:22:53 GMT

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Still about a month until we can enjoy astronomical twilight (sun more than 12° below the horizon).

2025-07-15 06:30:11 GMT

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Very cool site. Not a fan of that map’s Mercator projection. A polar stereographic projection would clarify some of the Arctic and sub-Arctic relationships. #CartographersForSocialEquality

2025-07-13 09:54:26 GMT

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Blue skies until ~10:30am

2025-07-13 09:37:06 GMT

Smoky red-tinged waning gibbous moon
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2025-07-10 18:04:39 GMT

50°F overcast with valley fog. Winds calm with 1.03” rain in the last 24 hours. #myalaskawx