Alaska News

Anchorage's snowy November, by the numbers

Total inches of Anchorage snowfall in November 2011: 32.4

Snowiest November on record in inches: 1994 with 38.8

Second biggest November snowfall on record? 1956

Inches by which 1956 beat out 2011 for second place: 0.1

Most inches of snow to fall in a single day last month: 6.1

Inches of deepest daily on-the-ground snow depth: 16

Inches tall of an average pair of Sorel snow boots: 10

Inches of ground clearance for an average sedan: 4 to 7

Winters with less snow all season than Nov. 2011: 1 (1957-1958)

Inches of normal snowfall in an average Anchorage winter: 69.5

Percentage of average winter snowfall received in Nov. 2011: 46.6

Headache size for Anchorage plow operators, on scale of 1 to 10: 10

Percent increase staff size of Alaska Snow Removal* last month: 213

Overtime hours Alaska Snow Removal employees worked: 3,000

Normal monthly cost of gas for ASR’s small plow trucks: $3,000 - $4,000

Cost filling same trucks last month: $10,870

Plow trucks owned by Spillman Paving (a small business): 1

24-hour stretches Jesse Spillman plowed last month: 6

Number of days Spillman plowed after each snowfall: 3 to 4

Fuel economy, in miles per gallon, of Spillman’s plow truck: 6.8

Cost to fill the tank: $165

Snow-related dollars Spillman earned in Nov. 2011: 8,000

Jill Burke

Jill Burke is a former writer and columnist for Alaska Dispatch News.

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