The days are growing longer, but winter just keeps holding on in Anchorage. Just as the weekend flurries taper off, another snow storm is on the horizon for Alaska's largest city.
Saturday's snowstorm dumped a reported 7 to 10 inches on Alaska's largest city, wreaking havoc on roads and leading to more than 160 accidents on Saturday alone, according to Anchorage police.
But apparently even that wasn't enough for Mother Nature. The National Weather Service issued a statement on Sunday morning that another, "possibly larger," snowstorm is on the way, bringing even more snow to Anchorage. Snowfall is forecast to begin Monday morning and persist through the day on Tuesday.
"There is a good possibility this system will linger and keep some snow in the area into Wednesday," the National Weather Service writes. If it does, the weather system could dump between 12 to 18 inches of snow on Anchorage by mid-week. The bulk of the snow will come between 10 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, the NWS reported on their Facebook page.
While some may lament the slow start to spring, this year's snowfall still pales in comparison to last winter's Snowpocalypse. On exactly this day one year ago, several inches of accumulation tipped the scales and officially broke the all-time record of 132.6 inches of snow in Anchorage. All told, Anchorage saw 134.5 inches of snow during last year's winter season.
After the snowfall early this week, the forecast remains mostly cloudy with a chance of snow through the Friday. The sun is forecast to return on Saturday, with highs of 25 to 35. Will winter finally give way to spring? It's too early to tell. Late-season snowstorms have happened before; in 2008, more than two feet of snow fell in Anchorage in April, with a storm on April 25 dumping 15-22 inches on the city.