Dear Readers,

As a cold front has moved in from Canada to eastern Alaska and the Interior, temperatures in Fairbanks have plummeted into the minus 40 range. Interestingly, the newspaper called this the first cold spell of the year. Temperatures in the minus teens and minus 20s don’t count. The cold spell is expected to last a week or more.

Meanwhile, here in Chistochina, we’ve had wind but temperatures in the zero to ten below range. Fifty miles down the road in Glennallen, it is 30 below, while 90 miles down the road in Tok, its minus 45. With the sun low on the horizon and the short daylight hours, we don’t get much warming during the day. So whatever the cause of this envelope of warmth we reside in, I’m thankful.

Venus has been in the sky as dusk falls each day (about 4 pm), its brightness outshining any star. These cold, clear nights, though long, are quite beautiful.

Happy New Year,
Kimi

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Here's the latest article from the Alaska site at BellaOnline.com.

Alaska's Winter Daylight
December 21. The winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. Officially, the first day of winter. For residents of the far north, though, that day marks not the beginning of winter, but the beginning of the end of winter.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art60031.asp

Please visit alaska.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Alaska.


Kimi Ross, Alaska Editor
http://alaska.bellaonline.com

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