In an average November in Anchorage, Alaska, residents can expect to see a little over 12 inches of snow over the course of the month.
Last week, in the span of two days, more than twice the much fell, with Wednesday shattering a single-day record with nine inches of snow in 24 hours. Some parts of the city saw 30 inches of snow total, resulting in road closures, power outages and school closings.
It’s just the beginning in what is expected to be a wild and perhaps unpredictable winter in America’s northernmost state. The city’s mayor has already declared a snow emergency, which will run through Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. City offices are closed to the public on Monday.
The storm is being blamed for four deaths so far, as homeless people who opted against going into a shelter died from events tied to the cold.
A winter storm warning remains in effect for Anchorage through noon AKST with accumulations expected of 6 to 9 inches, with some areas seeing another 12.
This winter is an El Niño year, and that could disrupt traditional winter weather patterns across the country as much as it did the summer. The last El Niño winter was 2018-2019 and resulted in an ice storm that brought snow and ice as far east as Charleston, SC. That was a mild El Niño. The one in 2023-2024 is expected to be stronger.
The NOAA, last month, predicted wetter-than average conditions for Alaska through February. Ironically, though, the state is expected to see warmer-than-average conditions on the whole this winter, as weill the Pacific Northwest and northern New England.
