Unseasonably warm in Chistochina.
Observation by Wilson Justin:
It's 50°F in the shade here in Chistochina at 3 pm in the afternoon. With a 5-mile walk completed, I observed a few willow (Salix scouleriana) trees, young birch (Betula papyrifera), and a handful of alders (Alnus rubra) with their buds at the ready. No birds out and about. Might be they are just roosting and enjoying the intense sunlight. If I did not know better, I would say it was the first week in May. Although I have seen the thermometer read 50° Fahrenheit at the end of April several times throughout the years, today is the earliest I know of in the shade. Bear in mind that a second thermometer at my Aunt Ruby's 3 miles away read 48°F. From the age of a teenager, right up to present day, I've witnessed about a 6-week difference with the arrival of spring-like conditions.
Willow blossom (Photo by Delta Wind)
Willow buds (Photo by Wilson Justin)
Winter Climate Highlights Provided by Rich Thoman, NOAA, Nation Weather Service, Alaska Region