ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Alaska warmer than Lower 48

WASHINGTON

The weather seems more than a bit upside down. The average temperature for the Lower 48 states midmorning Wednesday was a chilly 22 degrees. The average temperature for the entire state of Alaska at the same time was 24 degrees, according to calculations by Weather Bell Analytics meteorologist Ryan Maue.

Parts of Alaska were 30 degrees warmer than normal, southeastern Alaska hit 57 earlier in the week and the forecast for the rest of week was more unseasonable warmth, said National Weather Service climate science manager Rick Thoman in Fairbanks. He said it’s possible that the state record January high of 62 could be broken this week.

So far this month, weather stations in the Lower 48 have broken or tied more than 2,600 records for cold, while Alaskan weather stations have broken or tied more than 20 daily temperature records for warmth. Alaska’s relative warmth has shut down ski slopes and caused road problems.

“This is not the kind of weather most Alaskans like,” Thoman said. “We’d be happy to swap.”

Gust gaffe: Wyoming road sign warns 355 mph wind

CASPER, Wyo.

It’s windy in Wyoming, but still. Gusts of 355 mph and more?

That’s what one electronic road sign said in Casper on Saturday. The Wyoming Department of Transportation says a sign operator working from Cheyenne meant to type “35+” but mistakenly added another 5.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported that the inflated wind gust message was posted for 17 minutes before the department noticed the mistake and corrected it.

The whirlwind on social media lasted longer. One person posted a photo of the sign with the comment “CASPER WY. WHERE TORNADO ALLEY SEEMS PLEASANTLY BREEZY.”

Ohio shelter seeks a home for cat rescued from pipe

FINDLAY, OHIO

A northwest Ohio shelter hopes to find a permanent home for an orange cat that drew widespread attention when it was rescued after spending days in a drainpipe during severely cold weather.

Officials at the Hancock County Humane Society say they’re accepting adoption applications and donations to help with medical bills for the male cat, now named Piper.

The cat initially refused attempts to lure it out of the pipe. Groundskeepers at a school in Findlay cut through the pipe Jan. 10 to free the cat, which was muddy, emaciated and hypothermic.

The Humane Society director tells The Courier newspaper that Piper is an older cat and will need to be kept indoors.

Associated Press