Nenana Ice Classic update: Tanana River ice thickened by three inches between May 2 and May 6

Ice Conditions

The Tanana river ice is 40 inches thick as May 6th, 2013 [Up from 36.7 inches on May 2]

The ice is still solid from bank to bank, no visable signs of water. The temperatures were in the mid to lower 30's from Wednesday April 23rd thru Thursday May 2nd during the day, and dropping down to the mid 20's in the evenings. The temperatures are supposed to be in the mid to upper 40's and into the mid 50's between May 7th and May 10th, and in the mid 20's to the mid 30's in the evenings for the same time period. The Nenana River is still showing no signs of breakup. It is generally 7 - 10 days after the Nenana River breaks up, that the Tanana River breaks up. It's going to be awhile before the ice moves out, so stay tuned!!!  [Via DB]

The Nenana Ice Classic: Betting on Warming

[The late John L. Daly] The authors attribute recent earlier breakups to climatic warming, but it is clear from Alaska Climate Research Center data that there has been little or no warming to speak of over the full period, but that snowfall has increased significantly, contrary to what the authors claim.

Nenana Ice Classic

[Breakup log dating from 1917:  Only one breakup after May 8 since 1985]

Flashback: River ice in Alaska: “pretty good proxy for climate change in the 20th century” | Watts Up With That?

The Ice Classic has given them a rare, reliable climate history that has documented to the minute the onset of the annual thaw as it shifted across 91 years. By this measure, spring comes to central Alaska 10 days earlier than in 1960, said geophysicist Martin Jeffries at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks — and that trend is accelerating. “The Nenana Ice Classic is a pretty good proxy for climate change in the 20th century,” Dr. Jeffries said.