Never a dull moment in springtime Alaska

Photo credit:  Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew

A  member of  the Pioneer Peak Hot Shot Crew 

communicates with an aircraft on the Eagle  fire.

So, Thursday night 5/28, a 6.8 earthquake in the Aleutians rattled the south coast of Alaska over a span of almost 500 miles. Very little damage reported but so far that's the biggest earthquake we had this year. It was just one of several natural phenomena in the state recently.

To begin with while everyone was watching those floods in Texas and the hypocrisy involved with Texas congressmen who voted no on aid for Hurricane Sandy a couple of years ago demanded emergency aid for their own state, there are also floods in Arctic Alaska. So in the face of that and the claims President Obama is invading the state under the guise of a military training exercise, the U.S. did invade only they did it with FEMA trailers and trucks and an army of emergency responders. Maybe that fence all those yahoos want to exclude people crossing from the south ought to include Texas as well. Starting a new movement here: "LET TEXAS SECEDE."

But this is about nature in Alaska. Flooding on the Arctic Plain has damaged and closed the Dalton Highway between the Brooks Range and the coast. That's the only supply road to the vast oil fields along that coast.  Floods almost closed the main airport at Deadhorse, the closest one to Prudhoe Bay. June 5 is the earliest the state says it can have the road cleared and repaired. Right now I'd like to take that Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the one who threw the snowball in the Senate last winter and say there's your gorum global warming MF.

May 23 saw a new state record, the earliest date ever when a temperature in Alaska was reported at 90 degrees or higher.  The temperature was observed and recorded in Eagle in the eastern central part of the state where it reached 91^o F. Continuing on, temperatures are expected in the 80s through the following weekend along the south coast as well. More records are expected this weekend including in the town closest to the East Pole.

Meanwhile despite all the heat, it snowed at a field station in the Brooks Range. Temperature last Sunday at Toolik, 71; Friday, snow.

As one could imagine fire danger is high across the state. Fortunately so far there have only been a few small fires, though one near Eagle where the temperature reached 91 the other day, by Friday had grown to 1,800 acres. The Pioneer Peak Hot Shot crew that trains right down the road from here is hard at work on that one. Heavy duty resources like water scooping airplanes and retardant-carrying tankers have been stationed around the state in anticipation of more fires.

Coal seam fires.

As if wildfire danger isn't enough, the Alaska Division of Forestry reported discovering nine coal seam fires burning near Healy close to Denali National Park. These fires burn underground along coal seams sometimes for as long as a hundred years. Every once in a while one breaks through to the surface. They are very difficult to extinguish.By Friday they had burned over more than 700 acres.

Meanwhile it came to light this week that Kodiak Island has reached nearly 100 percent powered by renewable resources, wind and hydro.

Ever notice that every once in a while when you think you have it all figured out, nature rears up and lets you know who's in charge here?

Record date for 90 degrees 

Wildland fire roundup for Friday May 29 

Alaska DNR- Division of Forestry facebookpage

Kodiak Island renewable energy