Very well put, Jerry. You apparently have spent some time up here?

Bush flying in Alaska is always highly dependent on weather. And the weather in Alaska (especially coastal Alaska) is very difficult to predict with any certainty, and can change with amazing speed (more about Alaska weather below). Because of this, you simply do not go on a bush flying trip (or boating trip either) without allowing for the possibility of being delayed by weather. You always take enough with you (food, fuel, clothing, etc) to spend an extra day or two waiting on weather. Off the top of my head I can think of at least three trips when I've had to wait at least one extra day for a bush plane to pick me up. Once, on Kodiak Island, we were perplexed because the weather where we were was beautiful ("severe clear"). What we didn't know was that back in town where our pick up flight was originating, it was totally fogged in. Several other times, doing helicopter field work, we had to stop what we were doing and get out fast because the weather was closing in. Most of the time it is not a big deal, and there is no need to call for rescue. You just keep a close eye on the weather, wait if you need to, and travel when you get a break in the weather. But every now and then, the situation can very quickly get more serious than you expect.

Weather in Coastal Alaska is more problematic than most places for several reasons. For one thing, the "Aleutian Low" where most storms which effect western North America originate, is just to the west of Alaska. Storms hit us very soon after they form. By contrast, down in the lower 48, you have had the opportunity to observe storm systems for quite some time before they reach you. Another issue is simply the lack of weather data. Because Alaska is so thinly populated, there are fewer weather stations to provide data for making predictions. Finally, a look at the map will show that our overall topography is very complex. Unlike the western US, where the ocean is west and for the most part the mountains run north-south, up here we have big mountains and water trending every which way.

The bottom line is that bad weather, rapidly changing weather, and poorly predicted weather is just part of the deal when you live, work, and play in Alaska.