Alaska's Hubbard Glacier Advancing by seven feet per day

CDAPress.com

Local and National News - Kootenai County, Idaho

Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 10:25:07 pm PDT

Weather Gems

Cliff Harris

Alaska's Hubbard Glacier is advancing at the rate of seven feet per day!

This past week, I received a literally astounding report from Yakutat, Alaska's city manager, Skip Ryman, forwarded to me by Kerri Thoreson, concerning the rapid advancement of the Hubbard Glacier towards Gilbert Point near Yakutat at the astonishing rate of two meters (seven feet) per day!

Skip gave me the Army Corp of Engineers special Web site for the Hubbard Glacier, www.glacierresearch.com . On Tuesday, we pulled up some absolutely amazing photos of the advancing glacier in color. One can easily see the expanding wall of ice. It's HUGE!

Since the Corp of Engineers ordinarily protects and maintains possession of the scientific information they generate, it's certainly unusual for them to 'open up' like this. But, as Randy Mann and I have often said, these are days of Wide Weather 'EXTREMES'?

But, even the dedicated global warmists need to know the truth about the recent extended period of global cooling caused by our 'SILENT SUN.' So, if our readers try to access the site and fail, keep trying. It's perfectly legal and the Corp has set it up for public access.

As Skip says in his e-mail, "ignore the admonishment and continue to the site. The Corp can't 'turn off' the warning as it is part of their system. There will be no 'men in black' in black helicopters to spirit you away for just looking at this incredible site. I was literally 'blown away!'"

The Corp is involved because 'when' and 'if' the Hubbard Glacier eventually closes the Russell Fjord, the fjord will fill with fresh water, becoming a 30-mile-long lake creating a new 40,000-cubic-feet-per-second river system. This will have an extremely 'negative' economic impact on Yakutat and the surrounding regions. It's possible that at the shocking rate of seven feet per day in its advancement, the Hubbard Glacier could close the fjord by later this summer, or even prior to that time, if the current rate of advancement speeds up, say to perhaps 10 or 12 feet per day.

By carefully monitoring the Army Corp of Engineers Web site, we residents of North Idaho can be alerted to these type of events in 'real time' data presentations, not mere heresay.

It looks like an interesting summer ahead, weatherwise and otherwise. I'll have more glacial updates as they occur. Remember, we have THE RIGHT TO KNOW!

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEWS AND

LONG-RANGE UPDATES

Not only has our 'SILENT SUN,' almost completely devoid of sunspots, been at least partially responsible for the expanding glaciers in Alaska, Norway and elsewhere, but 'Ole Sol' is likewise, in my not-so-humble climatological opinion, to blame for our recent colder, snowier and wetter spring seasons in North Idaho and the surrounding Inland Empire.

There were a few snowflakes mixed in with the rain showers this Thursday morning, May 7, as temperatures fell into the chilly 30s early in the day as I wrote this weekly update.

Heavier snows -- up to six inches or more above 5,000 feet -- have accumulated in the nearby mountains on a daily basis since early May. It may be mid June or later before Glacier Park's 'Going-to-the-Sun Highway' opens. (Next week, we'll take a look at what's happening to the glaciers in the park. Are they also beginning to expand? Find out the truth in just seven days.)

As far as the local weather scene is concerned for the rest of May, I don't see any really warm weather developing for at least another 10 days despite a bit less shower activity across the Inland Northwest.

It's possible, however, that more typical afternoon highs in the 70s and lower 80s may arrive just in time for Memorial Day celebrations during the weekend of May 23-25. (It's early this year.) But, I don't see any readings locally in the summery 90s until at least early to mid June or later. Again, blame the 'Silent Sun.'

Longer-term, I'm still predicting a rather short but VERY HOT and DRY summer of 2009 in North Idaho.

The warmest weather should be sometime around the July 7-15 'full moon' cycle. It's possible that we will see an afternoon or two during this week with readings 'flirting' with the century mark, well above 'Sholeh' territory.

The weather for this August's North Idaho Fair and Rodeo looks great as long as the protective high pressure ridge over the region remains in place into the fourth week of the month as expected.

The fall of 2009 will be both WETTER and COOLER than in the past few years, hence a bit shorter summer season overall. I'll have more details next week.