Ebbie lives in the area known as Southeast Alaska. I would call that Alaska's banana belt but I usually refer to Homer and Seward that way.

Anchorage is in the area known as Southcentral Alaska. We are substantially north of the panhandle. We are slightly further north than European cities such as Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, (but not Reykjavik).

Temperatures are typically moderate for the latitude. Right now they are in the single digits (4 deg Fahr or -15 deg Celsius). While this is not extreme for our location, it is enough to keep many folks inside their comfy houses. I've been dog walking every day and what is most noticeable over the bare temperature is the accompanying breeze. A slight steady breeze can make you 'feel' ten degrees colder than the simple degree figure.

The dog we're walking is an 8 month old Labradoodle, no fat on her, but she seems to be quite able to gambol frolic, fight and fetch in any temperature we've walked her in so far. There are dogs who do not like snow and cold, but Labs don't seem to be among 'em.

When the temps are low, snow adhesion is usually pretty good. If you hear a crunch under foot, chances are you won't be slipping. But, crossing or walking in streets where cars have compressed the frozen water to a sheen can be slick no matter what temperature. The good side of this is that thin layers of snow and ice can evaporate (the proper term is sublimate) and in a few days you've got asphalt under foot.

We are supposed to be in the freezer for another week and then the temperature might go up by 10 degrees F (5 deg C). It will make a difference. Last year we had a sudden meltdown and rain in December and that was far worse than the cold.