Hot summer days



Sun past midnight

July 8th, 2012

Sunrise: N/A

Sunset: N/A

Temps: 21 - 27'C

So, what is summer like in Inuvik?  

Moving up here, I certainly did not think that I would spend so much of my time in the Arctic being TOO hot! Bright, warm summer days have been my experience thus far, and I have had to explore a few avenues to cope with the heat and the light.

 A popular and particularly classy adaptation involves copious amounts of tinfoil and/or cardboard. When I first came to town, I remember noting many tinfoil-clad windows and scoffing this unsightly modifcation. Ahem. It turns out that this is a cheap and highly effective way to to deal with heat and light, and I have had to resort to this measure to prevent the temperatures in my apartment from routinely climbing above 30'C.

Fortunately my windows can still open to the outside so, no, I am not living in a dark hobbit hole.



Warm sunny summer days and nights also yield unique Northern activities, such as Inuvik's annual "Midnight Sun Fun Run." This popular event includes a 5km, 10km and 21km runs. The start times are staggered allowing most people to arrive at the finish line between 12:00 and 1:00 am.The great runner that I am, I struggled through the 5 km and am pictured here, red faced and sweaty, at the finish line.

Another wonderful thing about Inuvik in the summer is the variety of celebrations and free food events. Inuvik likes to feed people! Pictured here is a view of the Aboriginal Day events on June 21st.

Another reality of warm summer days, especially in this dry climate, is forest fires. (Yes, there are trees in the Arctic!) We have recently had several forest fires within close proximity to town, and with an unfortunate shift of the wind, residents have found themselves scrambling to close windows to keep the smokey air out.