In the midst of all the “lasts” we’re having here at Fort Wainwright, we can finally say we say we experienced another first here, too; we had our first snow day in Fairbanks. I know what you’re thinking – a  snow day in Alaska?! Trust me, we were pretty surprised, too, but after weathering our first winter at Fort Wainwright, we can honestly say this storm was wilder than we experienced last year, and I’m very grateful to have had not one, but two whole snow days for the kiddos because, yes, they’re off again today.

Our First Snow Day in Fairbanks

What you really need to understand about interior Alaska is that it gets really cold, and it’s really dry. So, the combination of cold and dry leads to very dry snow. Barring the first snow or two last year, each snowfall thereafter was light, fluffy powder that didn’t weigh much, didn’t pack down, and could be blown away with a leaf blower. However, this storm offered us the literal opposite.

For the last 36 hours, we had warmer temperatures, higher humidity, and wet, dense snow. In fact, it started as snow, and we got about 6-8 inches of snow overnight, which gave way to above freezing temperatures and 12 hours of rain, which created a ton of flooding. Now, we’re below freezing, all that rain and snow is ice, and we’re forecast to have an additional 4-6 inches of snow. Basically, it’s skating rink outside.

Our Last Winter in Alaska

I remember many days when we lived at Fort Drum that soldiers had delayed reports due to extremely heavy snowfall or downed lines. That’s a rarity here in Alaska for these so-called “Arctic Warriors,” and I’m honestly so excited to have experienced a proper little snow day here – even if it rained most of yesterday.

I know the extreme cold is coming, and I know that winter will drag on into spring, much like last year, but this is our last winter in Alaska. Having a snow day in Fairbanks feels like a special little treat to kick off our final winter together here, and I’m excited to have our kiddos home and toasty warm with me again today. I took all these photos before the storm when the ground was jusssstttt dusted and coated with snow. Now, it’s here to stay. Winter has officially begun, and we have our last PCS countdown going again!

Tell me – what’s the weather like where you are now?