Condition One

Big storm blowing through right now. It's been really crankin' for the last 20 hours or so. Last night the wind speeds got as high as 90 knots (104 mph), rattling my dorm something fierce. Didn't get much sleep.

We have three designation of extreme weather here. Condition three is normal weather-- no restrictions on travel. Condition two means the weather is worse-- no unnecessary travel and no recreational (hiking or skiing) travel. Condition one comes in if we have sustained winds over 55 knots, wind chill under -100F, or less than 100 feet visibility. When "Con 1" is called, we have to stay right where we are-- no travel permitted. In previous Con 1 storms, there have been incidents like a huge fuel tank exploding (not on fire, but the top was ripped off), and sheets of plywood flying through the air like playing cards. One even stuck in the wall of one of the dorms.

We never did have a condition one last winter, until just after the first plane of Winfly arrived. Condition one was called this morning, and I'm stuck in my dorm. I went over to the galley for breakfast, and was directed by my boss not to go to work until the weather gets better. I'm glad I came back to the dorm-- it's not too bad to be stuck here.

Here's a good illustration of what condition one is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2SeEzxMuE. It was filmed by my coworker, Antz Powell, featuring his wife, Christine. This is the entrance to my dorm. Pretty much what it's like now. Yikes.