Good Morning Race Fans!
Current Bethel Weather – Visibility 1/4 mile Blowing Snow Overcast 200 Northeast Wind 35 Gust 51 Temp 15 Windchill -2. Barometer Falling Temperature Rising.
As we wait and wonder and cross our fingers, hoping for improving weather, the near perfect storm approaches. The low pressure system moving up from the south has strengthened and jumped across the Alaska Peninsula into the Bering Sea. Normally, the system would decrease in strength as this happened, but with a very mild winter, the Bering Sea isn’t frozen and the system remains strong. Systems gain strength from the warmth of the water and create strong winds as they encounter cold winds from the interior. In this case weather forecasters are calling for very strong winds and blizzard conditions through this evening. A strong interior air mass is meeting this big system right smack over the race area.
Race organizers are undoubtedly concerned. A race is a huge orchestration of people, supplies, and transportation. The most important thing though is safety of the dogs, mushers, and fans. As conditions degrade, organizers are going to make a call based on all of those factors. It isn’t common, but races can change even their course based on trail and weather conditions. Last year in the middle of the Paul Johnson race based out of Unalakleet, the race cancelled the latter half of the race after poor weather. In that race, Pete and Team Kaiser won, but in reality it was a sprint race to the end from a close checkpoint.
If I was a betting man, I’d be laying odds that we will postpone today, but it’s all dependent on the storm and whether dog drops and officials will be able to get to the checkpoints. Word from the river is that there is a plowed truck trail, but in that case we still have poor visibilities to contend with.
Worse news is after this storm lies another tracking north as well, but that isn’t supposed to materialize until Monday or Tuesday.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope this storm moves west and we can get this show on the road!
