We made it through winter. Seriously. We made it through. It was a winter for the record books (and I wish I was just saying that or exaggerating, but no it really it was). We broke records this winter of ‘25-’26 (yes, I was going for a geezer moment there- indulge me in this, I just lived it- thank you kindly).
This winter is going into the record books as the all-time coldest winter since temperatures started being recorded in Fairbanks (1904!!!). Being heralded as a sub-zero marathon of a winter, we spent 152 consecutive days below freezing, with 31 days of those at or below -40F. That would be the fourth highest amount of -40-degree days in a single winter. 72 of those 152 days were spent at or below -20. It was WILD to experience that’s for sure. Sadly, yes sadly, we only tied the record for the latest “first day above zero”. On top of that, we got 92.6” of snow, which is the 12th snowiest winter on record.
All that to say…winter was not terrible. It was a thing to experience.
When we moved up here, I said I was excited to experience an “Interior Alaska” Winter. I wanted to feel it all- from the darkness, to the frigid harsh temps, to the snow; I wanted the full experience…and I got it.From Winter Solstice Celebrations, to eating dinner with a moose, to seeing both light pillars AND The Northern Lights, to experiencing extreme cold and Ice Fog, to going dog mushing. Winter offered a little bit of everything and I honestly loved every minute of it. So, let’s break it down and talk about what life and the weather looks like now.I’ll pop some pictures in so you can experience some of it too.
First off, the darkness. Yes, it’s true we get down to the point where we only have about 3 hrs. and 30-45 minutes of “daylight”. Yes, that is INSANE to experience…and yet it’s also so cozy. We break out the sun lights first thing in the morning to help us get up and go and re set our circadian rhythm. At night we cuddle up on the couch with all the lamps and cozy lighting you can imagine and hunker down. Life moves slower, more intentionally. There isn’t any “let me just run out for this” and yet you never really feel stir crazy. The Northern Lights are OUT and out constantly. We could see them some nights from our windows and would just lay and watch them. We have fireworks in the dead of winter- in fact the Winter Solstice Celebration is one to experience and to remember.
When the daylight comes, most of the time it is full sun. If it’s sunny it’s a dry cold and it’s bearable. Bundle up in all your layers and go outside for 5-10 minutes. It resets you. You may only see that sun for 3 ½ hours, but you’re seeing that sun. It’s incredible.
Then there’s the snow. Yes, it’s a lot of snow. Yes, it compacts on the road and for 4-6 months you’re driving on compact snow mixed with gravel and ice and no pavement. Yes, it means you have to get used to how your car handles in those conditions or look at getting different tires. BUT it’s beautiful. It’s white. It’s pristine. It’s crisp. It’s literally like living in a snow globe while it’s snowing. The amount of time I spent in my window seat just watching big white flakes come down…unreal. The snowblower was definitely a necessity just for the sheer relocating purposes of all the snow. It was wonderous.
Finally, there’s the extreme cold. I will admit- there are times when this feels brutal. I did hit a brief period where I just wanted winter to end. I was tired of the cold, I wanted to wear dresses again, and I just wanted to be able to get out. Thankfully this only lasted, at most, two weeks and right in the middle the worst of the cold broke and we started to see more reasonable temperatures. The thing to note about Interior Alaska is it’s very dry. So, the cold is very dry. Which, in turn, makes it very manageable. Am I saying I want to live at -40F forever? Absolutely not. Am I saying, that -40 is wild to experience and I’m glad I got to? Absolutely.
Something I will forever remember is that with -40 temps, comes the fog. The frozen fog. This thick, can’t see half a foot in front of your face fog that doesn’t let up. It’s like being in a horror movie, but in a cool way because you can only experience it by being here and experiencing it. We had several days of this (and in hindsight probably contributed to my winter irritation when it came back around for a second go) and it’s not something I will be forgetting anytime soon.
So, now that winter has “passed”, what does it look like? Well…almost the same. We still have snow everywhere, though our big berms are being taken down as part of the snow removal efforts (to ease and quicken clean up), the roads are, for the most part, pretty clear to drive on (so no more driving on hard pack snow and ice), and the temps are very slowly rising…though what would have felt warm this time last year is now very different. We’re in the low forties for our highs every day and its very much a “leave the jacket inside” temperature at this point for us. I’m not quite breaking out all of the sundresses, but I’m in some sort of long sleeve dress almost every day OR a jeans/tee/sweater combo. I’ve been known to utter the words “I’m so flipping hot today” several times over the last couple weeks. We’re starting to see some {dead} grass, which is a comfort, and our daylight hours are extending noticeably (as I’m writing this, we are well over 14 hours of daylight). There is a lightness around- like everyone is coming out from the winter hibernation, fresh and ready to start again. Life is coming back, and you can feel it from the longer days to the warmer temps, to the smile and lightness afoot in everyone.
A Cuppa Cosy 