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Friday, January 18, 2013

Weather event brewing?

Good evening race fans...  Let's take a quick look at the National Weather Service's forecast for Friday through Sunday at Bethel.  It was issued at 9 PM Thursday:

Friday: Mostly sunny. Patchy morning fog. Highs zero to 10 below. Northeast wind 20 to 35 mph. Wind chills 25 below to 45 below...lowest inland.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening...then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow after midnight. Lows 5 below to 10 below. Northeast wind 20 to 35 mph. Wind chills 25 below to 35 below.

Saturday: A chance of snow in the morning...then snow likely in the afternoon. Areas of blowing snow. Highs 10 to 15 above. northeast wind 20 to 35 mph.

Saturday Night: Snow. Areas of blowing snow. Lows 5 to 15 above. Northeast wind 25 to 40 mph.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow. Highs around 30.

Two things stand out: the intense northeast winds and the snow.  The start of the race on the river Friday evening will likely be blustery and cold, but the Saturday night portion in particular has the makings of a pretty significant weather event.  Falling snow coupled with winds of 25 to 40 mph is definitely recipe for a blizzard, and there's a decent chance we'll see watches or warnings pop up for our area tomorrow.  The frontrunners will be cruising downriver by late Saturday night and Sunday morning, so the wind will be mostly at their backs, but a significant snow storm would almost surely have an effect on every team in the race.  This forecast also indicates pretty comfortable temperatures for race fans by Sunday, but those are also temperatures that make sled dogs uncomfortable. 

Keep in mind, this is just a forecast... 

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