A man walks a Fairbanks street during an ice-fog episode in January 2012. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
FAIRBANKS â An old friend â a character not seen in these parts for a few years â showed up in Fairbanks last week.
Ice fog.
Ice fog is a surface cloud composed of water we emit into the air all the time; it only becomes visible when the cold hammer comes down hard and hangs around for a bit.
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Last week, when Fairbanks temperatures dipped in places to minus 50 degrees, there was enough ice fog for Rick Thoman to draw a little blip on a bar graph. Thoman is with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Ice fog showed up on his graph for the first time in about a decade because the air was finally cold enough for long enough.
This graphic shows how a January/early February 2024 cold snap in Fairbanks measured up against the past in its production of ice fog, which forms at about minus 30 F. (Graphic courtesy Rick Thoman)
In the late 1960s through the early 1990s, a glaciologist named Carl Benson slowly chased this phenomenon around Fairbanks and got to know it like no one else.
He wrote a few classic papers back then. In one, he calculated how much water all the sled dogs in Fairbanks exhaled during a typical winter day. (Combined, all 2,000 of them pumped a half-ton of water vapor into the air.)
Benson, now an emeritus professor at the UAF Geophysical Institute, described the mystery of ice fog in a 1969 story he wrote for his friends at the California Institute of Technology, where he had attended college.
Ice fog has a magic number: minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It does not form until the air gets that cold, and it dissipates when the temperature rises above that.
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âIce fog is produced when the water vapor output from urban environments meets an air mass which is too cold to dissolve it and cold enough to crystallize the condensed vapor into tiny air crystals,â Benson wrote back then for the surely baffled urban California audience.
Those ice crystals waft to the ground, latching onto air-pollution particles on the way down.
Downtown Fairbanks is blanketed in ice fog beneath the exhaust of a coal-fired power plant in January 2012. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Benson also explained a chemical-reaction oddity that happens as we drive. When our engines burn gasoline, âthe actual mass of water ejected as vapor from the exhaust is 1.3 times greater than the mass of gasoline burned.â
Though cars trailing their cotton-candy clouds is a striking visual and the main cause of limited driving visibility, Benson found that a major contributor of water vapor in the late 1960s was the cooling water for power plants. Today, a major contributor is an open portion of the Chena River warmed by power-plant cooling water.
[The physics of 40 below]
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In a paper published in fall 2023, Lea Hartl of the Alaska Climate Research Center wrote that from 1950 to 1980, Fairbanks averaged more than two weeksâ worth of days with ice fog each year.
When she examined the 30 years from 1990 to 2020, she found that ice fog was in place for only about six days each year, on average.
Why? Hartl wrote that the main reason is that â even though we get a taste of ice fog now and then â there are many fewer days in which Fairbanks experiences temperatures below that magic minus 30 degrees.
A robin endures the ice fog
An American robin perches in a chokecherry tree on the UAF campus on Feb. 13, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
As temperatures warmed enough here in mid-February to make our water vapor invisible again, I saw a robin on the UAF campus. Though robins spend winters along Alaskaâs southern coast and on Kodiak Island, they usually migrate south from Interior Alaska in the fall.
This bird, probably the same one reported on the eBird citizen-science site in January and earlier in February, has perhaps survived on the frozen fruits of chokecherry trees like the one in which it was perched when I saw it. Whatever the robin was eating, the bird made it through a few weeks of ice-fog-inducing temperatures. Salute!
WHEREAS, on June 3, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, World War II arrived in Alaska when Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island was bombed by Japanese – the first aerial attack by an enemy on the continental United States; and
WHEREAS, the Japanese pilots expected little resistance; but because of an intercepted message three weeks earlier, the installation was on high alert, and Navy and Marine personnel were prepared with anti-aircraft defenses; and
WHEREAS, encountering unexpected resistance at Dutch Harbor, installation, Japanese forces shifted their focus to the Margaret Bay Naval Barracks, where the attack claimed the lives of 25 servicemen; and
WHEREAS, following the initial attack on Dutch Harbor, Japanese forces launched additional assaults on Dutch Harbor, Adak, Kiska, and Attu, resulting in the Aleut people being evacuated and held in internment camps in Southeast Alaska for three years, through which many did not survive; and
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WHEREAS, the brave soldiers of the United States Armed Forces and allied Canadian Forces fought valiantly for more than a year to reclaim the remaining Aleutian Islands. The battle of Attu stands as one of the most costly American assaults in the Pacific, with hundreds of servicemen making the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Alaska; and
WHEREAS, on the 84th anniversary of the bombing of Dutch Harbor, we remember and honor all who were affected by the attack, paying tribute both to the military personnel who served and died to defend our Nation and to the Aleut people who died while imprisoned.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim June 3, 2026, as:
Dutch Harbor Remembrance Day
in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to join with the people of Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, and the Aleutian Islands to honor all who were lost in Alaska during World War II, and I order the Alaska State Flag to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of those who perished.
The 168th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard hosts a naming ceremony at Eielson Air Force Base on July 31, 2025 showcasing the KC-135 aircraft “Tetlin.” Photos of this Stratotanker with apparent shrapnel damage connected to Operation Epic Fury circulated online at the end of May 2026. (Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey / U.S. Air National Guard)
A plane belonging to the Alaska National Guard appears to have been damaged during operations connected to Operation Epic Fury as part of American military efforts against Iran, according to online reports. Defense officials have so far declined to confirm whether Alaska National Guard personnel or equipment are taking part in the campaign.
Last week, defense industry news outlet The War Zone published photos of a KC-135 Stratotanker transiting through a British airbase. In the pictures, made by photographer Andrew McKelvey, the rear bottom of the fuselage and wing stabilizers are “peppered with temporary shrapnel damage repairs‚“ according to The War Zone’s article. The plane also appears to be missing its refueling boom, the proboscis extending from under the tail to pump off fuel to other aircraft.
In the photographs, the Stratotanker’s tail number is visible, identifying the refueling plane as belonging to the Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing, based at Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks. The wing’s mission includes aerial refueling. That’s the tactic of large planes unloading vast quantities of fuel to aircraft, ranging from fighter jets to rescue helicopters, in midair.
Pictures from a different photographer published last week by another blog, The Aviationist, show the same plane. The tail includes the letters “AK” painted above a white polar bear.
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In addition to the photographs, the reporting from The War Zone is based on publicly available flight data and social media posts scraped from a variety of sources.
According to information from Flight Radar 24, the Stratotanker left Eielson on March 5, just days after the U.S. and Israeli militaries began bombing Iranian targets on Feb. 28. Through March, according to public flight records, the plane was based at Ben Gurion Airport southeast of Tel Aviv, where, according to The War Zone, dozens of American refueling aircraft were staged as part of Operation Epic Fury.
There are no public flight records connected to the Stratotanker through April and most of May, until it appeared to fly through England on the way to the United States at the end of last month.
It is not clear how many Alaska Air National Guard planes, personnel or units are currently deployed in connection to the war effort against Iran.
A spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard referred all questions about Operation Epic Fury to the U.S. Central Command.
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A spokesperson for CENTCOM, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, declined to answer questions on the record or provide any specific information about Alaska National Guard units deployed as part of ongoing military operations, citing the need to protect service members and operational security.
The Alaska National Guard has posted no informational releases or pictures connected to an overseas deployment during the last few months.
Much of Operation Epic Fury has been waged by military aircraft, and aerial refueling is critical to keeping planes supplied during long flights. A May 12 report from the Congressional Research Service composed of public damage reports to U.S. military aircraft noted that among the 42 records of damage or losses were seven KC-135 Stratotankers, though the findings were published before photos emerged of the Alaska-based plane. The report noted that the Defense Department “has not published a comprehensive assessment of combat losses” from Operation Epic Fury.
The tail number is associated with a Stratotanker manufactured in 1964, the year before Boeing ceased making them. All of the nearly 400 KC-135s currently in operation within the American military date back to that era of the Cold War.
The aircraft has the word “Tetlin” painted on the top of its tail. The name is an homage to the Interior Alaska village, one of several selected to honor longstanding bonds between military aviators and Alaska Native communities, according to photographs of a dedication ceremony posted by the Alaska National Guard last summer.
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The 168th Wing currently has 12 Stratotankers attached to the unit. That number bumped up in April after a long campaign by Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan to allocate more tankers to the state’s portfolio given its vast geography and high number of advanced fighter jets.
Alaska Airlines is opening its newest Lounge at Portland International Airport, featuring thoughtfully designed spaces with twice the square footage and seating of the current space
The new Lounge reflects the airline’s appreciation for its loyal guests and comes as Alaska continues to expand its service in Portland, offering more flights and more options for guests
The investment to modernize the Portland Lounge is part of Alaska’s growing portfolio to elevate its global guest experience and expand its Lounge footprint, including new spaces in Seattle, San Diego and Honolulu
PORTLAND, Ore., June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alaska Airlines is set to welcome guests to its newest Lounge at Portland International Airport (PDX) when it officially opens on June 4, underscoring its continued investment in premium travel and one of the carrier’s key West Coast hubs.
Alaska Airlines newest lounge at Portland International Airport (PDX) will open its doors on June 4, 2026. The new Lounge reflects the airline’s appreciation for its loyal guests and comes as Alaska continues to expand its service in Portland, offering more flights and more options for guests.
After more than two years of construction, the approximately 14,000-square-foot Lounge will welcome guests with a warm, thoughtfully designed Pacific Northwest aesthetic, featuring an inviting fireplace and a striking wooden Mt. Hood mural by artist Ben Butler. At twice the size of the current Portland Lounge, it offers more than 230 seats, including Alaska’s Signature Loungers, along with high, open ceilings that bring in natural light and views of PDX’s new terminal. Guests can relax, enjoy fresh, regionally inspired food, sip barista-crafted beverages or cocktails from West Coast partners, or take advantage of ample power plugs and privacy booths for calls and meetings.
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“Portland guests have chosen Alaska for years and played an important role in our growth in the Pacific Northwest,” said Shane Jones, senior vice president of fleet, products and guest experience. “This new Lounge is our way of thanking them and a reflection of our growing portfolio of premium guest experiences. We look forward to opening our doors this week and welcoming guests with the signature hospitality and thoughtful touches Alaska is known for.”
Alaska is the largest carrier serving Portland, operating more flights than any other airline, including more than 100 daily departures. Portland is a critical hub in Alaska and Hawaiian’s network with expanding service to over 60 destinations across North America and beyond. This summer, Alaska will launch year-round service to Everett/Paine Field and Pasco–Tri-Cities, along with seasonal service to Jackson Hole. Last month, new service began to Baltimore, Bellingham, Idaho Falls, Philadelphia and St. Louis. By this fall, Alaska will offer 50% more seats in Portland than just two years ago, reflecting strong demand for travel and the airline’s continued investment in the market.
“Our strong partnership with Alaska has helped to elevate the new PDX as a world-class destination that showcases the Pacific Northwest and makes everyone feel at home,” said Chris Czarnecki, PDX business and properties director. “We’re thrilled their new PDX Lounge is here for the long-haul, offering travelers a stunning spot to relax, recharge, and experience a taste of our region.”
The nearly $18 million investment in the Portland Lounge is part of Alaska’s growing Lounge footprint and broader commitment to enhancing the guest experience as it expands globally. Building on this investment, Alaska just announced its plans to open a landmark, more than 41,000-square-foot Lounge in 2027. The Lounge, which will be located in Seattle – home to the airline’s main hub – will be the largest in its network and among the largest airline lounges in the country. The airline is also designing its first Lounge in San Diego along with a new, expanded Lounge in Honolulu, both slated for early 2028.
Alaska Airlines Lounge members can access eight premium Lounges across the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines network, including its largest Lounge in Seattle and additional locations at its hubs in Anchorage, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Alaska Lounge+ membership unlocks access to all Alaska Lounges, plus nearly 90 partner Lounges worldwide, including select oneworld and partner Lounges. To learn more or sign up to become an Alaska Lounge member, click here.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Alaska Airlines opening at Portland International Airport? A: Alaska Airlines is opening a newly redesigned Lounge at Portland International Airport (PDX) on June 4, 2026, offering a larger, more modern space with premium amenities, regional food and beverage options, and enhanced comfort for guests.
How big is the new Alaska Lounge in Portland? A: The new Lounge is approximately 14,000 square feet—about twice the size of the previous Portland Lounge—and features more than 230 seats.
What amenities are available in the new Alaska Lounge at PDX? A: Guests can enjoy:
Barista-crafted coffee and specialty beverages
West Coast-inspired cocktails
Fresh, locally inspired food
Signature Lounge seating and private booths
Ample power outlets and workspaces
Relaxation areas with premium finishes
Who can access Alaska Airlines Lounges? A: Access is available to:
Alaska Lounge members
Alaska Lounge+ members
Eligible First Class guests
Eligible oneworld and partner airline passengers
What is the difference between Alaska Lounge and Lounge+ membership? A: Alaska Lounge+ membership includes access to all Alaska Lounges plus nearly 90 partner Lounges worldwide, while standard Alaska Lounge membership provides access to all eight Alaska-operated Lounges.
Why is Portland important to Alaska Airlines? A: Portland is one of Alaska Airlines’ key West Coast hubs, with more than 100 daily departures and nonstop service to over 60 destinations across North America. By this fall, Alaska will offer 50% more seats in Portland than just two years ago, reflecting strong demand for travel and the airline’s continued investment in the market.
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How is Alaska Airlines expanding its Lounge network? A: Alaska Airlines is investing in multiple new and expanded Lounges, including:
A 41,000+ square feet landmark Lounge in Seattle opening in 2027
A new Lounge in San Diego
An expanded Lounge in Honolulu
How much did Alaska Airlines invest in the new Portland Lounge? A: Alaska Airlines invested nearly $18 million in the new Portland Lounge as part of its broader investment in premium travel as the airline continues to grow globally.
About Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld alliance. Members of our Atmos Rewards loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our additional global partners that serve over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/JREFPOWBRZAZBAHQPQCMAUPFFY.JPG?ssl=1 "Ice fog is no longer a regular occurrence in Fairbanks")
