- 16.

81.

47.

Those are the numbers of the past week of my life: It was minus 16 at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport when Gina and I got on a plane bound for Texas last Wednesday (Jan. 7).

It was a record-high 81 degrees last Thursday in Austin. I’m not generally a fan of hot weather, but after days upon days of below-zero temperatures in Anchorage, that record warmth felt pretty good. It was pretty easy to enjoy the sun and fun in Texas.

Some quick math says that in the course of 24 hours, we experienced a 97-degree temperature swing.

It was 47 degrees this morning in Anchorage according to one radio station on my way to work. A chinook wind blew in from the south, warming Anchorage up, melting off snow and creating hazardous driving conditions.

While I wasn’t in love with several days of below-zero weather, I am never in love with the mid-winter warm-up. What are we to do now?

Go to the Freeze Project? The special art display in downtown Anchorage opened Saturday, but parts of it are melting away right now.

Hit the cross-country trails? Hardly. The ski association has asked skiers to stay off the trails until it cools down and the mush freezes a bit.

Take a walk? Trust me, that’s not safe.

That's one thing about the weather, you can always find something to complain about – first it’s too cold, now it’s too warm.

Hopefully, we'll find a middle ground here shortly.

-- Steve