Clearing up the last of 2014 and riding this rock into 2015

Here we are more than a week into a new orbit and there's a bunch of stuff left over from the last one that really should be dealt with before we get too far along.

In terms of wrap-ups. the weather takes a front page position. First note was that Anchorage, Alaska, in late December marked a whole year where the temperature never fell below zero. The last time that happened was a period of more than 600 days over the years 2000 and 2001.  While 2014 may not be a record, the streak may not be over so it could still happen.

In addition to Anchorage's year above zero, the official statistics came down this week that show 2014 was the warmest year in Alaska since records have been kept, the warmest since at least 1918. That's the state as a whole, not individual reporting stations, so only a few local records were broken. But

overall it was the warmest. And on top of that, it turns out 2014 was the warmest year on record for the entire country.

Despite the warm year, the state didn't entertain a very remarkable fire season. According to the Alaska Division of Forestry, 393 fires burned 244,529.5 acres. The largest by far was the Funny River fire on the Kenai Peninsula in May and June which consumed nearly 200,000 acres. I have no idea how many football fields that is.

So we're all warmed up to ride this rock around the sun,  right?  Wrong.

You see, on November 18, the country, the whole country, recorded the coldest ever overall temperature for that date. The average temperature that day for the contiguous 48 states dropped to 19.4 degrees at 7 a.m. according to one dataset used by forecasters. Every state recorded temperatures below freezing, every state.  Yes. that includes Hawaii where the temperature went below freezing at the observatories on Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet above sea level.

It made a mess out of the political argument. I mean every state freezing on the same day, that sure does fire up the climate change deniers. But, then Alaska's warm and the polar ice continues to melt, but the deniers can't see those so they probably don't count. Maybe Earth is just tipping over.

There are four grosbeaks and two chickadees in this
picture. Good Luck

The polar vortex is forming again and sure enough the snowy owls are following the pattern. There's a new problem this year, though. Last year there was an overpopulation of their favorite prey, the Arctic lemmings. This year there isn't and owls have been rescued at several locations, stressed and starving. There are some good folks out there trying to save as many as they can but it might be a tough road for the owls and the rescuers.

Meanwhile there's no snow in my yard and rain in the forecast and still no trail to the East Pole. This past week here it got to about 5 below zero, but this isn't Anchorage which is generally warmer, sometimes by 20 degrees. 

There are lots of birds, mostly Pine grosbeaks (I counted 13 at one time the other day), more Chickadees than I have noticed before, nuthatches, and at least one downy woodpecker and one hairy woodpecker. A single, lonely redpoll showed up New Year's Day and an exotic that still remains unidentified was here just before Christmas.

And just to get things going on this new voyage through our galaxy:

 JE SUIS CHARLIE

and

Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter

and a personal one:

From now on, it's just us  (I might explain that some day.

2014 the warmest on record for the entire country

More earthquakes in 2014 than any year on record

They're baaack: Snowy owls heading south again

Owl be seeing you in the Polar vortex

Kirby Delauter

2014 Alaska wildfire statistics