Too Warm

Yes, I know the thought is almost laughable for someone in Fairbanks, Alaska in the middle to January to say it is too warm, but indeed it is. It's been over freezing during the day for the past few days, and last night the temperature never went below freezing. The ice is melting. As I was walking to class today the compacted snow/ice mixture on the sidewalks that is as even and compacted usually as the cement, was broken in two with a gash of three inches that ran the length. The run off of the melting snow cut under the perfect walking path splitting it like fire wood. The water went down the path and has started it's own little puddle, that wont last long as liquid. It will soon turn to deadly ice as the temperatures dip again. There are puddles and slush on all the walking paths, the ground is still trying to keep everything frozen, but currently the air temperatures are winning where the snow is insulated away from the ground.

Usually here the weather stays to consistently cold that the snow maintains its texture and allows for significant traction. When the snow gets warm and starts to soften, then it becomes slippery and dangerous.

Another concern is how this warm spell with damage the ecosystem. There is a fear that the plants with put out their new shoots for spring, wasting all that energy when they freeze off, and then without the energy to start over again they will die or be late this season, which impacts the animals with how much they are able to eat of the vegetation. I haven't seen any mud yet, so hopefully the plants wont miss read the signs quite yet

We are all hoping here this mid-winter thaw stops and Mother Nature can return her balance.

We have found a nice little apartment in town, over a church, so we don't need to turn our heat on with the heat coming up from the floor and the outdoors being above freezing. In fact we've had to open our window a couple of times already to attempt to cool off our place.

Eventually I will put up some more pictures. I promise.

Otherwise like the popular country song by Billy Currington (with some alternate lyrics),

God is Great,
Life is Good
and
People are crazy