Anchorage and Alaska

The Alaska Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) was very proud to be the host of the 19th Annual Meeting during June 8-12,1998, at the William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska. This was the first year Alaska was ever been considered as the meeting site, so the organizing committee planning to make this one to remember. Anchorage, with its population of 254,000, serves as a center for economic, communication, service and transportation. Meeting attendees enjoyed some rain, but otherwise a moderate spring climate with daytime temperatures averaging 63 F (17 C), evening temperatures in the 40's, and 24 hours of functional daylight. Over 400 people make their plans and experienced Alaska's amazing wetlands.

Anchorage...

If you want to see a realtime image of downtown Anchorage and follow the race events that way instead, check out the following AnchorageCam which will show most of the start of the race on Saturday.

Anchorage is as far north as Helsinki, Finland and nearly as west as Honolulu, Hawaii. It sits at the base of the Chugach Mountains along the coast of Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska.

Alaska has alittle over 500,000 people, 40% of which lives in the Anchorage bowl.

Three of Alaska's 39 mountain ranges are visible from Anchorage, the Chugach, Kenai and Alaska ranges. Mount McKinley, (Denali), although it's some 130 miles (208 km) north, can be seen from downtown on a clear day. This 20,320-foot (6,193 km) peak is the tallest mountain in North America.

Anchorage is 2,435 road miles (3,896 km) from Seattle, 3,712 miles (5,939 km) fro Los Angeles, and 4,649 miles (7,437 km) from New York City.

Alaska...

Alaska is the most northern-, western-, easternmost point in the United States. It's true! The Aleutian Chain extends into the Eastern Hemisphere.

For those pre and post conference trips, check out the new site Travel Alaska.

It's only land neighbor is Canada (British Columbia and Yukon Territory).

Alaska's glaciers cover more than 29,000 square miles (75,400 sq.km.). Portage Glacier, just 45 miles (72 km.) south of downtown Anchorage, is one of Alaska's most visited attractions.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America shook Anchorage and all of Southcentral Alaska on March 27, 1964. It measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale.

It extends across 2 timezones(should probably be 3). Alaska Time is one hour earlier than Pacific Time (8am in Seattle, 7am in Anchorage, Juneau, Barrow ...). If you work out the Aleutian Chain on a fishing boat, you are 2 hours earlier than Seattle because they are in the same time zone as Hawaii -way cool Dude, lets grab a board.

Weather in Alaska...

Check out the most current Satellite image of Alaskas weather by entering: current weather

In Alaska, temperatures rapidly warm during the month, as long days (20hours plus) contribute to the warmth despite the low sun angle. Interior sections frequently see temperatures in the 70's and 80's with 90 plus readings not uncommon. Coastal locations have more moderate average temperatures in the 50's and 60's. Precipitation increases from 40 to 60 percent compared to May over a large part of the state. Thunderstorms are rare along coastal sections, but in interior sections they are more common than one would think. In the hills around Fairbanks, for instance, one can expect thunderstorms on average on 8 days during the month.

Significant Past Weather Occurrences

6/27/1915 Fort Yukon, Alaska, hit 100 degrees. This is the 49th state's hottest temperature to ever occur in any month.

6/25/1953 The temperature at Anchorage, Alaska soared to 86 degrees -- its hottest reading on record.

6/10/1995 The temperature at Yakutat, Alaska soared to 87 degrees for its hottest temperature on record.

ANCHORAGE AK Average High: 61.6F Record High: 85F Average Low: 47.2F Record Low: 33F Average Precipitation: 1.14in

FAIRBANKS AK Average High: 70F Record High: 96F Average Low: 49F Record Low: 31F Average Precipitation: 1.37in