Comments on: And For Those Who Need Proof…Minus 80 Degrees F

By: Kt in Tok Ak

Kt in Tok Ak — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:03:31 +0000

I have operated a Davis Vantage Pro in Tok for 10-12 years now, with Weatherlink 5.8.0 software. The National Weather Service has come to my site (visits about once a year) and certified my system as accurate. At any temperature. They have told me that Davis doesn’t claim accuracy at -40 or colder because they are not TESTED in those conditions, not because the are inaccurate. They use my data to formulate weather forecasts for the 40-mile area of interior Alaska.

My weather station is identical to the one in this site’s photo, other than my anemometer is at 30 feet. Their thermometer readings are just about identical with mine, and we are perhaps a half-mile apart.

I am a certified weather spotter and observer volunteer for the National Weather Service, a member of the Citizen’s Weather Observers Coop, and my station feeds to Wunderground, NWS, CWOP and MADIS. (I am a weather geek)

Lots of people around this area get colder readings than I do on spirit thermometers, and I believe they are accurate also. It is not uncommon for a 10-15 degree variance in our area mostly because of terrain.

If you look in the wunderground.com history for our area, you will see it indeed gets very very cold.

Tok is a very special place, not for the faint-hearted. Many of us appreciate the extreme winters because it keeps the population from growing… ;p

By: Foxtrotter

Foxtrotter — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:00:30 +0000

Found the ideas listed here interesting to say the least.
I think that Kathy has the best handle on conditions, including legalities involved in getting from Tok to Anchorage at lead foot speeds.
I have found that wood stoves work well all winter long. I do have two Toyo stoves but do not use either one of them unless I plan on being out of town for extended periods of time.
I don’t believe that this winter has been as cold yet, as previous years, I am thinking that all I have seen at the house this year is -60 F. In past years colder.
I know that Powerade does pretty good about not freezing to bad, until you break the seal, then you need to put it in the engine compartment of the snow machine.

By: Kathy Olding

Kathy Olding — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:53:13 +0000

I just happened across this blog and found it interesting to say the least. I am a resident of Tok now for 45 years and have seen all the weather that can be thrown at us.

To the person who said to throw coffee (or water) in the air at those temps and it goes into smoke.. I have YET to find this to be true!!! I have tried it almost every year at the coldest temps and it just falls to the ground WET until it hits the ground Im bummed.

Secondly, if anyone is driving the speed limit (like good people that obey the law should do) going to Anchorage on a summer day in good weather takes approx 6.5 hrs..on a bad day 7 hrs……. ok? so someone needs to be practicing safe and legal driving speeds (smile)

One way I know if its colder than normal cold is how long my dogs stay out to go potty… (smile)

I love my woodstove in temps like that.. nothing more cozy than a hot woodstove to stand by and warm up to if you’ve been outside for very long.

I was walking a 3 mi block with my dogs fairly regularly down to -50º ..when my normally soft snow pants starts to make crinkly cracky sounds I know its pretty cold and I stay home after that (smile)

And they don’t make those sounds until it is -50 or colder.

Take care!

Kath

By: Igoretas

Igoretas — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:19:55 +0000

OOOOHHH ¡¡-80 ºF!!

And I tought that the +10 ºF (-10ºC) registred on my home weather station in The Basque Country (Spain) was a very very cold day…

Alaskan people must be made from a diferent material
Have a nice day

By: remove water after pipes freeze | NYC Flood Damage

remove water after pipes freeze | NYC Flood Damage — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:34:59 +0000

[...] And For Those Who Need Proof…Minus 80 Degrees F « Living in Tok … [...]

By: Kelvin

Kelvin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:07:20 +0000

We are hoping that it gets down to -273K and really clean out some of the cosmonauts who live here just for the Permanent Fund Dividends!

By: Patrick Armstrong

Patrick Armstrong — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:54:34 +0000

211K (which is how God measures temperature) is getting close to the bottom.
You need heat immediately!
Put in a call for Algore to give his lecture!
That should raise the temperature by 80K+

By: Eau D' Castor

Eau D' Castor — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:44:06 +0000

Ey Michel, it’s warming up- better go check your line pronto, or yer gonna find a bunch of fur missing! I watched a nice crossfox munch a rabbit in my front yard yesterday ! (Tok)

By: fullmetalgerbil

fullmetalgerbil — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:18:46 +0000

Good grief that is so effing cold. Closest I’ve experienced was -40 while living in Glasgow, Montana. From where I’m living now in Pa. our 29 degrees seems downright balmy compared to what you’se are seeing there.
Great hot cocoa weather I bet, though it probably would freeze in a couple of minits if one tried to drink it outside.

By: Michel

Michel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:14:38 +0000

So, it’s finally warming up. We’re still at about -45 up here in Circle. Can’t wait until we see -20 or better. Supposed to be a Chinook headed our way. On the NWS it says we are supposed to be 20 to 30 above here in a few days. Break out the shorts!

I just use a digital thermometer on our house, it is generally pretty accurate. When we go look at the thermometer at the airstrip it is usually about 5 degrees cooler than what ours reads at home, probably because of heat off of the house.

Enjoy the warm-up. We’ll still probably have another of these snaps before March, hopefully just not as long of one.