The National Weather Service said 19 inches of snow fell in a 48-hour period beginning Monday, providing the first major test of Mayor LaFrance’s pledge to improve the municipality’s snow-removal systems.
Anchorage’s two-day snowfall total of nearly 20 inches this week hit a new record for the most snow that’s fallen in a 48-hour period in January. Between Monday and Tuesday, 19 inches fell in the city — the most over two days ever recorded for January andThe persistent snow stacked up the way it did due to the low temperatures that have gripped Southcentral recently, part of a sustained pattern of extreme wintry weather that’s gripped much of the state, including record snowfall in Juneau and bitterly cold conditions across the Interior and Western Alaska.
Tracen Knopp. If the system held more moisture, Knopp said, the snow would have been more compacted, leading to less accumulation. The storm kept Anchorage police busy responding to dozens of crashes since Monday and provided the first major test of Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s pledge to improve the municipality’s snow-removal systems.crews continued to work to clear streets and sidewalks across the city. People Mover buses were running on Wednesday, thoughas of Wednesday afternoon. Slick roads and poor visibility Monday and Tuesday prompted more than 200 Anchorage police calls over that two-day period. By midafternoon Wednesday, police reported another 26 crashes, five with injuries.to clear snow, but otherwise, spokesperson Lex Yelverton said, the airport “has remained safely open and operational throughout the recent weather event, with airfield and terminal teams continuing snow removal and safety operations to support airline activity.”through Thursday morning warned of dangerous backcountry conditions across the southwestern parts of Chugach State Park, including backcountry terrain near Arctic Valley Ski Area. The bulletin does not apply to operating ski areas. “Large human-triggered avalanches are likely. Despite the calmer weather, the snowpack is very unstable and dangerous avalanches can be easily triggered by people,” the bulletin said. “It is likely avalanches may be triggered remotely from flat terrain below steeper slopes.” Live traffic camera feeds show vehicles at Boniface Parkway and DeBarr Road on Wednesday. The feeds are part of the municipality's online snow-removal tracking tools. during two big snow years. Since then, the city has increased the size of its street maintenance team and started modernizing equipment. Officials say they’re also working to rebuild lines of communication with Anchorage residents and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.in October. With the addition of new GPS systems, residents for the first time can use an online dashboard to track the city’s road- and sidewalk-clearing fleet as it moves through Anchorage. The municipality also purchased new sanders, blowers and graders using money from aOn Wednesday, Anchorage plow crews were starting to clear residential areas and sidewalks after focusing on the major arterial roadways that the municipality is responsible for plowing, officials said. The state transportation department maintains most of the city’s arterials.during a media briefing Wednesday afternoon. “The crews are working hard and making good, steady progress.” She said this week’s response was aided by additional equipment purchased with money from the bond and unspent money, and improved communication with state officials. More new equipment is expected to arrive later this winter.has sunk boats and, according to the report, raised concerns about building collapses and increased avalanche risk. Juneau and the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of AlaskaThe weather service has issued numerous extreme cold-weather warnings, from the Central Arctic to lower sections of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. In Southcentral Alaska, a burst of frigid air is moving in, followed by more snow by the weekend, forecasters said.until 4 p.m. Thursday for Anchorage and parts of Mat-Su, Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Peninsula. Temperatures could plummet to minus 35 during that period, forecasters said. For Anchorage, another period of snow with rising temperatures was forecast to arrive on Friday and continue into next week,Chris Aadland is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News covering breaking news, Indigenous issues and general assignments. He has previously reported for the Confederated Umatilla Journal, Underscore Native News/Indian Country Today, Montana Free Press, Casper Star-Tribune and Wisconsin State Journal. Contact him at caadland@adn.com.Bella Biondini is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News covering city government and general assignments. She was previously the editor of the Gunnison Country Times and has also reported for High Country News, in addition to working as a photojournalist. Contact her at bbiondini@adn.com.
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