First frost

[Alaskajohn]

After a week of rain that kept the temperature above normal, the skies cleared after midnight and the temperature hit 31 degrees at 4:30 this morning. I was up at the time watching the first aurora borealis show this season. I wish I would have kept records each year for the first frost. It seams late this year. It will probably get below freezing pretty much every night going forward and perhaps in 2-3 weeks it will be rare where the temps get above freezing. Winters are pretty mild until Jan-Feb when it gets -35 at worst not adding wind chill.

The gardens have been in for a week, all summer items have been put away, the grounds have been prepped, the plow and the snow blower have been mounted on their side by sides, the firewood all stacked. This is my favorite time of year to relax. Hunting season is over and all the lodges in the area are closed for the season. This marks the time of the start of solitude with little heavy demands on my time. After the wife wakes up we are heading up the mountain to pick blueberries and cranberries as they taste their best after a nip of frost. Then a bon fire in the fire pit to burn up some of the trash leftover from summer projects. Probably a beer and a moose steak on the grill too.

For the next couple months I get to chill, read a good number of books, and enjoy being outside. The good life.

 

[Bacpacker]

Sounds like a wonderful time of year
ENJOY

 

[Caribou]

After a week of rain that kept the temperature above normal, the skies cleared after midnight and the temperature hit 31 degrees at 4:30 this morning. I was up at the time watching the first aurora borealis show this season. I wish I would have kept records each year for the first frost. It seams late this year. It will probably get below freezing pretty much every night going forward and perhaps in 2-3 weeks it will be rare where the temps get above freezing. Winters are pretty mild until Jan-Feb when it gets -35 at worst not adding wind chill.

The gardens have been in for a week, all summer items have been put away, the grounds have been prepped, the plow and the snow blower have been mounted on their side by sides, the firewood all stacked. This is my favorite time of year to relax. Hunting season is over and all the lodges in the area are closed for the season. This marks the time of the start of solitude with little heavy demands on my time. After the wife wakes up we are heading up the mountain to pick blueberries and cranberries as they taste their best after a nip of frost. Then a bon fire in the fire pit to burn up some of the trash leftover from summer projects. Probably a beer and a moose steak on the grill too.

For the next couple months I get to chill, read a good number of books, and enjoy being outside. The good life.


View attachment 116494

Down the hill, in Palmer, it hit 31º also.

 

[Tim Horton]

It likely has frosted in a lot of areas, maybe not all, along the south shore of Lake Superior up to about the Canadian border... Mostly listed as zone 3... Kind of the usual pattern to such weather.. A friend from near Wasilla Alaska (USDA zone 3) reports no frost ....yet...

 

[Alaskajohn]

It likely has frosted in a lot of areas, maybe not all, along the south shore of Lake Superior up to about the Canadian border... Mostly listed as zone 3... Kind of the usual pattern to such weather.. A friend from near Wasilla Alaska (USDA zone 3) reports no frost ....yet...

According to the maps, we are 3b. But the three very large glaciers and being in a high saddle between two mountain ranges, my weather tends to be very different than 30 miles in any direction. We are often the only sunny spot in the state, or vice versa.

It’s 49 degrees and sunny, so perfect grilling and beer drinking weather! Actually red wine tonight…. Its a hard life on the frozen tundra!

 

[Sourdough]

No frost yet in a banana belt "Kenai Peninsula." Alaska. Was/is a lovely day to be outdoors. I spent a few hours showing the property to a potential buyer.

 

[Caribou]

It likely has frosted in a lot of areas, maybe not all, along the south shore of Lake Superior up to about the Canadian border... Mostly listed as zone 3... Kind of the usual pattern to such weather.. A friend from near Wasilla Alaska (USDA zone 3) reports no frost ....yet...

My home near Palmer is 10 minutes from downtown Wasilla and the wife reports frost a few days ago.

 

[Alaskajohn]

No frost yet in a banana belt "Kenai Peninsula." Alaska. Was/is a lovely day to be outdoors. I spent a few hours showing the property to a potential buyer.

Good news on the potential buyer. I hope that goes well but I know what a sale means.

I was out your way a couple weeks ago and did a float from lower Skilak down the Kenai to Bings landing. All three of us limited out with silvers in 30 minutes right as we entered the river from Skilak Lake. Perfect weather between the rains so we enjoyed the float after the catch. Saw a big brownie on the shore at one point. He wasn’t interested in us. Truly God’s county with no place prettier or more abundant in resources than your peninsula. Maybe Bristol Bay is the exception on the abundant resources part.

 

[Alaskajohn]

My home near Palmer is 10 minutes from downtown Wasilla and the wife reports frost a few days ago.

I heard reports of frost Monday or Tuesday morning in Palmer from my son. We were under clouds, so that kept the temps warmer.