We have plenty to worry about right now but the people of Juneau, Alaska are probably not thinking about it because they have one big thing to focus on:
SNOW! More than a winter’s worth of snow fell in December alone — 82 inches! — and 49 of those inches fell in just five days. The weight of the snow has sunk boats in the harbor and collapsed roofs. Juneau is running out of places to pile the snow.
RAIN! Today there’s a flood watch and winter weather advisory because it will rain heavily on top of the snow — 1 to 4 inches of rain! — which will cause flooding, landslides and avalanches.
“The prospect of being hanged focuses the mind wonderfully,” attributed to Dr. Samuel Johnson, the quote is probably altered from what he actually said. Apocrypha: The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page explains: “This is another popular corruption of a famous line of Johnson’s. What Johnson really said, according to Boswell, was, “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” A little clunkier in its original form, even when you drop the first sentence, which is probably why the simpler, corrupted form is frequently seen.”
Deflated tires in subzero weather significantly increase the risk of a blowout because low pressure causes tires to flex excessively, overheat, wear unevenly, and lose traction, making them prone to failure, especially when hitting potholes or bumps. Cold temperatures shrink air, reducing tire pressure by 1-2 PSI for every 10°F drop.
Meanwhile severe cold continues in Fairbanks. On the same day we’ll have spring-like weather, Friday 9 January, the forecast for Fairbanks is a high near -26F and a low around -30F.
p.s. The beginning of the video mentions ice fog (photo at top), which is called “pogonip” in the Rockies. And why is the reporter on camera at night? He isn’t. The days are so short in Fairbanks right now that a normal “day” includes a lot of dusk and dawn.
“As of early Saturday morning, January 3, some areas in Oswego County, including Pulaski and Sandy Creek, had received as much as 4 feet (48 inches) of snow within a 24-hour period since New Year’s Day.” — Syracuse.com
The path of the storm determines which community gets hit and the storm’s intensity. Meteorologist Eric Snitil shows how the storm picked up moisture from four bodies of water.
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Indeed all the Great Lakes were ice free. Here’s the storm’s path superimposed on GLERL’s ice map. Pale blue means open water.
After nearly 60°F yesterday morning we now have snow on the ground.
When temperatures suddenly drop below freezing the National Weather Service warns us of black ice on the roadways. This dangerous transparent thin ice cannot be seen until our cars slide on it.
Black ice also forms on still water such as canals in the Netherlands, above, and a small lake in Sweden, below. It is dangerously thin to skate on it but it makes weird noises when this intrepid skater passes over it. Turn your sound up to hear it.
Winter Solstice sunrise in Pittsburgh, 21 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
28 December 2025
The painted bunting was not the only thing seen last week but it grabbed the headlines. In other news the Winter Solstice was unusually sunny (photos above and below) and I saw an Infrequent duck at Duck Hollow on Christmas Eve.
Sunny Winter Solstice day, Pittsburgh, 21 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
The common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a relatively small duck, closely related to buffleheads. The female has a chocolate brown head, a golden tip on her beak, and of course a golden eye. All three tipped me off to her identity.
Female common goldeneye at Duck Hollow, 24 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Common goldeneyes are far from abundant in the Pittsburgh area but actually common in Canada in the breeding season and at the Great Lakes and waterways in the American West in winter as shown on their North American abundance map below.
I had thought that, like buffleheads, goldeneyes were only found in North America but I saw them in Finland last summer. In fact they have a disjoint range on three continents as viewed from the North Pole: Europe, Asia and North America.
Today the sun will pause its southward journey across the sky and begin to move north again. That moment of pause at the winter solstice occurs at 10:03am Eastern Standard Time.
You can see the sun’s journey if you record its position at the same standard time every day for a year. Its path, an analemma, is created by the Earth’s tilted orbit, not by movement of the Sun. This silent movie shows the path for three years.
Musical interlude to celebrate the season: Winter Solstice, composed by Michele McLaughlin and released in 2006, was often heard then as background music in shops during the Christmas season.
My reflection in a Christmas ornament at Phipps Conservatory, 16 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
20 December 2025
After Sunday’s 6″ of snow, the snow melted midweek (Wednesday’s high up to 60°F), a windy cold front arrived on Friday, and this morning it was 15°F at dawn. In the meantime I found reflections, animal tracks, and an unusual song sparrow.
Reflections: My own reflection in a Christmas ornament, plus the first hint of Thursday’s spectacular sunrise in a reflection outside my window.
Red sunrise reflected on an apartment building’s windows, Pittsburgh, 18 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Here’s the sunrise that made that reflection.
Sunrise in Pittsburgh, 18 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Tracks in the Snow, 17 December: What are these tracks below the bird feeders at Frick Park? Every set is an arc of four splats (two paws per splat), and the animal seems to wander.
Virginia opossum tracks near feeders at Frick Park, 17 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
A closer look at the opossum tracks at Frick, 17 Dec 2025 (photos by Kate St. John)
A Collared Nape: [“Nape” is the back of the bird’s neck.]
On Tuesday I encountered a song sparrow who was not afraid to get close so I decided to photograph him with my cellphone. That’s when I realized his white collar is not snow stuck to feathers. It is actually leucistic feathers on his nape. Here he is from different angles.
Song sparrow forages near me at Schenley Park, 16 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Song sparrow with leucistic feathers on its nape, 16 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Song sparrow with leucistic feathers on its nape, 16 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Holiday lights shine through the snow on Clyde Street, Pittsburgh, 5:20am 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
14 December 2025
This morning my Pittsburgh city neighborhood was a winter wonderland after it snowed overnight. As of 8:11am, there were 6 inches on the ground at Schenley Park and it’s still snowing.
This 8:30am map of CoCoRaHS reports shows less snow north of us and 8-12 inches in the Laurel Highlands.
Since we hadn’t heard any snowplows overnight — which reminded me of the Snowmageddon fiasco — I went out at 5:15am to take photos of our nearby Snow Emergency Route, Fifth Avenue. Hmmm. Wasn’t plowed.
Intersection of Fifth Ave & Craig Street, 5:17am 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Snowing on Craig Street, 5:17am 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
On the plus side I found beautiful Christmas lights glowing through the snow.
Christmas lights and snow at Cathedral Mansions, 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Christmas lights glowing through the snow, 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Icing on the yews, lit from inside, Pittsburgh, 5:20am 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
By dawn, the private lots in our area had been plowed but still no plow on the streets.
Dawn with snow, Pittsburgh, 7:32am 14 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sixteen years ago the City of Pittsburgh was paralyzed by 21.1″ of snow that fell on the weekend of Feb 5-6, 2010. The suburbs were in good shape (they had plowed all along) but it took the City many days to dig out, in some places more than a week, because they hadn’t kept up with the snow while it was falling. Due to budget constraints Mayor Ravenstahl had forbidden DPW to work overtime unless he personally authorized it. It was the weekend and they couldn’t find him to get approval. He was celebrating his 30th birthday in an undisclosed location and could not be reached. By the time DPW got the mayor’s OK the snow was too deep to plow. They had to use backhoes.
I doubt that’s what’s happening this time, but I still wonder. No plows?
Snow on the rose, Pittsburgh, 2 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
6 December 2025
As I mentioned on Thursday, Pittsburgh isn’t usually this cold in early December and certainly not for long. But ever since it snowed Tuesday morning the temperature has not ventured above freezing, though it will finally do so later today.
On Monday it was comfortably above freezing when I saw sun shining through yellow-green willow leaves at the Beaver River in Rochester, PA.
Willow with green and yellow leaves, Rochester, PA, 1 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Tuesday all the trees were coated in snow and so was the rose (photo at top). It was hazardous weather for a flower.
Snow covered trees, Cathedral of Learning, overcast sky, Pittsburgh, 2 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Snow-covered tree on Pitt’s campus, 2 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Thursday sun lit Flagstaff Hill before the night turned quite cold.
Snow on Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, 4 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Today and tomorrow the snow will melt but then we’re heading back into a deep freeze Monday night. Terrible weather for a rose.
