11/12/2021
Anchorage’s first major snowstorm of the season dumps 1
1/ 2
feet in some areas
Tess Williams and Morgan Krakow
Anchorage Daily News
A record-breaking amount of snow fell in Southcentral Alaska through Thursday, dropping more than a foot of snow on the east side of the Anchorage Bowl and in Seward by evening, with a few more inches still possible overnight.
A winter weather advisory was extended to 1 a.m. Friday given the potential for reduced visibility and continued snowfall, according to the National Weather Service.
A band of heavy snowfall formed over East Anchorage, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Ottenweller.
The highest snow totals were recorded on the Anchorage Hillside, with 18 inches of snow by 4:20 p.m., while 10 inches was measured at the weather service’s forecast office in Sand Lake in West Anchorage late in the afternoon. Eagle River had between 15 and 16 inches of snow by 4:20 p.m., according to meteorologist Kenna Mitchell at the National Weather Service in Anchorage.
By early evening in Anchorage, it appeared the snowfall was already slowing down, though Mitchell said it was hard to say exactly when the snow was set to stop — light flurries could continue into Friday and Saturday, but the heaviest snow had already fallen.
The snow total Thursday also broke the daily snowfall record for Nov. 11. Accumulated snow at the weather forecast office piled up beyond the 6.6-inch record set in 2007.
The snow is expected to stay light and fluffy, posing visibility issues but likely no structural damage or power loss, Ottenweller said.
The band of heavy snow also covered part of the Glenn Highway, making driving conditions especially difficult from downtown Anchorage to Eagle River, he said.
While students were already off for Veterans Day, the weather prompted the Anchorage School District to close all schools and facilities at 11:30 a.m. and cancel in-service training, practices and rehearsals, though community rentals and competitions were set to continue as planned.
The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities classified driving conditions as difficult from Seward to the Matanuska and Susitna valleys Thursday morning.
Near Seward, temperatures were warmer than in Anchorage, Ottenweiler said, so snow was heavier and driving would likely be more challenging.
