Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 90:
Anchorage is a major port, receiving over 95% of all freight entering Alaska passes, as well as a major hub of the famous [[Alaska Railroad]]. Major industries include government and military, [[Petroleum]], and [[tourism]]. There are two strategically important [[U.S. military]] bases bordering Anchorage on the north: [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] and [[Fort Richardson]]. Nearly all [[Alaska Interior]]-bound tourists pass through Anchorage at some stage of their journeys in [[Alaska]]. Not surprisingly, summer is [[tourist season]], and downtown Anchorage, as well as the highways leading north and south of town, are typically teeming with tourists.
===Climate===
Average daytime summer temperatures are approximately 55 to 80 degrees [[Fahrenheit]] (13 to 23 degrees [[Celsius]]); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 20 degrees (-15 to -7 degrees Celsius) (warmer than many places in "[[The Lower 48]]"). Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport average January low and high temperatures are 9 °F/ 22 °F with an average winter snowfall of 70.60 inches. The weather on any given day and indeed for entire seasons can be very unpredictable. Some winters feature several feet of snow and bitterly cold temperatures, while others, just a foot or two of snow and constant, annoying thaws, which puts dangerous ice on the streets. On [[March 17]], [[2002]], a record 24 hour ([[St. Patrick's Day]]) [[snow]] storm dumping 25.7 inches of snow on the Anchorage area causing the airport and schools to close on that day. The coldest [[temperature]] ever recorded at [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] was -38 °F (-38.8 °C) on [[February 3]], [[1948]]. Summers are typically very mild and pleasant, though it can rain frequently. There isn't any beach-bathing in Anchorage, except at a few local lakes on the warmest summer days, when those lakeside beaches can be extremely popular. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/ 66 °F and the hotest reading ever recorded was 86 °F (30 °C) on [[June 25]], [[1953]]. The average annually precipitation at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is 16.07 inches. Aside from the winter cold, which most Alaskans don't mind, there are two primary nuisances associated with the seasons: in the summer, mosquitoes (which are much worse out in [[Alaskan Bush|the Bush]] than in the city itself); in the winter, long nights and very short days. Since Anchorage is at such a high latitude, for months in mid-winter, residents go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. Those who don't study or work next to a window can go all week long without seeing the sun. Consequently, [[Seasonal Affective Disorder]] (SAD) is an acknowledged problem in Anchorage and in [[Alaska]] generally.
| |||