Surprise Halloween storm brings Anchorage’s snow total to 21 inches this week

Update, Nov. 1, 2024: More than 21 inches of snow accumulated this week at the National Weather Service station in West Anchorage during storms Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Six inches was recorded Monday, 5.5 inches fell on Tuesday and 9.6 inches on Thursday, according to weather service records. Monday and Thursday’s totals broke snow records set in 1982 and 1983.

Original story:

A second and relatively unexpected snowstorm this week was coating already slick roads around Anchorage, making for treacherous driving conditions in and around the city on Halloween.

Forecasters initially said a mix of rain and snow was possible by Thursday afternoon, but the forecast shifted to mostly snow by midafternoon. The National Weather Service said warmer air did not move over the region as expected and the presence of colder air led to increased accumulation.

A winter weather advisory for Anchorage, Eagle River, Indian and Eklutna called for total accumulations of 4 to 8 inches and a chance for freezing rain.

The National Weather Service had measured just over 6 inches at its Sand Lake offices as of 4 p.m., bringing the total snow depth to 17 inches, according to meteorologist Virginia Rux.

The first big snowfall of the season started Monday and ended Tuesday, dropping up to a foot on the city and triggering remote learning for Anchorage School District students. Plow crews were still clearing roads and sidewalks when the second storm started. As of Thursday morning, municipal plow crews had finished or started about half the residential sectors in the city.

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Tracy Smithmyer shovels the entry to 6th Avenue Outfitters during the snowfall in downtown Anchorage on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Police in an alert issued just after 3:30 p.m. reported deteriorating road conditions “due to fast-falling snow and the winter storm” with 36 vehicles in distress and 36 crashes including nine involving injuries in the Anchorage area.

Drivers on Thursday afternoon reported treacherous conditions on the Glenn and Seward highways heading out. Several rollovers were reported between Anchorage and Peters Creek. The school district reported at least one delayed West High School bus route.

The weather service said the Halloween storm set two records by afternoon: A daily snowfall record of 6.2 inches, besting a 6-inch record set in 1983; and a precipitation record of .39 inches that broke a 1970 record of .3 inches.