Posted in Alaska
January 03, 2019
It’s Impossible To Forget These 5 Horrific Winter Storms That Have Gone Down In Alaska History
Alaska’s winters are usually characterized by larger amounts of snow compared to the rest of the United States. Amazingly, these storms were all well above average, in some cases breaking city, state, or world records! We all know that when Alaska does snow, it does it well.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
During less than a three day period, Fairbanks broke all of its previous records. It snowed a whopping 35 inches of snow! Even with city crews working over 24 hours a day, every day, it was difficult to keep up with the snowfall. In fact, they ran out of places to put the snow. To this day this storm holds Fairbank's city record as the most snow in a single storm.
Cordova, Alaska was hit by what the locals were calling a "Snowicane." Pummeled with over 18 feet of snow in the same amount of days, the city had to officially declare a state of emergency. The National Guard was called in to help remove snow from homes and roads. Many houses and business's roofs caved in, and at least one apartment building had to be evacuated!
On March 17th, 2002, Anchorage experienced a record breaking snowfall. Within 24 hours over 29 inches of snow fell on the largest city in Alaska. The snow fell at a rate of greater than 2 inches per hour at some times! However, even during this massive snowfall, Ted Stevens International Airport managed to stay open the entire time. A massive crew working 12 hour shifts managed to keep the 25 million square feet of asphalt clear enough for flights to continue to take off and land!
Thompson Pass is the snowiest place in Alaska, coming in at over 500 inches of snow annually. So breaking records is something this place is good at! On December 6th, it broke world records of the most intense snowfall ever recorded, coming in at a crazy 15 inches of snow in just a short 90 minutes. By the end of this storm, there was 40 inches of snow in just twelve hours. Crews worked hard to keep the roads cleared!
Although Valdez, Alaska holds the title of "Snowiest Place in the US" averaging over 300 inches annually, the weather outdid itself during December-January of 2012. Locals called it "Valdez Snowmageddon", and by January 12th over 320 inches of snow were recorded that early in the season. That is almost 27 feet of snow. Locals, for the first time in decades, were concerned about their roofs collapsing. That winter Valdez children got their very first snow day in an incredibly long time!
Do you remember any of these Alaskan winter storms? Any other blizzards you would add to this list?
Looking for something to do during the next snowstorm? Check out The 7 Most Remote and Magical Cabins In Alaska For A Snowy Winter Getaway!
