Winter Weather — Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek, Alaska

2021-12-06 to 2021-12-07 · Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek, Alaska

Event narrative

Measurements: 1 inch of snow reported at office and 3 inches of snow reported in east Anchorage.

Report from NWS employee on 12/7: I left downtown about 3:50pm. Snowfall gradually increased with outright +SN at the Hiland exit on the Glenn Highway. Quite possibly approaching 8-12 of new snow in that area. Except for one section near the weigh station the snow was being blown in between the lanes and wasn't accumulating in the driving lanes. The snow rates decreased quickly in the first few miles up Hiland Road. It was clear this was a persistent feature as there was much less new snow in this area. Snowfall increased rapidly again past mile 5 of Hiland with moderate snow towards the end. So far I've had 8.5 new snow today with significant snow continuing as of 4:50 pm. 2.2 of new snow as of 8 am which was 12:1 ratio. The 6.3 was very low density fluff.

Wider weather episode

A north to south oriented frontal boundary brought periods of heavy snow, avalanche conditions, lowered visibilities, high winds and strong surf from west to east over the course of several days as the front shifted slowly east and developed into a triple point low over the western Gulf. Strong upper level dynamics and a deep moisture fetch made this an impactful storm for southern Alaska.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1007197. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.