Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship Study, Number 5: Bacardi in Ice, Day 5: Pelted by rain

Yes, that's right, rain. The weather has gone nuts.

This morning on Facebook, a friend posted that the temperature in Nuiqsut had risen to 32, with heavy rain and winds of 55 mph. Nuiqsut! Many of you were with me on September 15 when I boated into Nuiqsut from Cross Island with the EMN Crew in a light snow storm. The snow stuck. The temperature dropped into the 20s, then teens.

Mid-September.

Historically, one would have expected the temperature in Nuiqsur to then basically stay below freezing until mid-May, with a warm day this time of year being about -5 F and a cold day -40 or so.

I took this picture at about 4 PM. It was hard to do because the rain was splashing all over my iPhone and it was pretty dark. Now, the rain is turning to snow again. According to the forecast, Wasilla could be flirting with the zero Fahrenheit Mark in a day or two. By then, I should be in Barrow – weather permitting. 

Text added at 5:08 PM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 50 and counting.