Anchorage broke its January snowfall record Tuesday, as schools were let out early and the state’s largest city plowed through another winter storm.
The storm started Monday and had dropped 4 to 6 inches of snow across Anchorage by Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A winter storm warning is in effect until at least 9 p.m. Tuesday, cautioning that driving could be very difficult, especially during the Tuesday evening commute.
The 36.4 inches of snow in Anchorage as of 9 a.m. Tuesday was the city’s most ever in January, eclipsing a record set in 2000, according to National Weather Service climate researcher Brian Brettschneider.
“It's still snowing today, and so this is definitely subject to change,” Brettschneider said Tuesday morning.
The Anchorage School District sent students home early, except for those in Girdwood, and canceled all after-school programs Tuesday. Parents were watching for updates about possible school closures Wednesday.
As of about 10 a.m., the Anchorage Police Department reported 39 vehicles in distress – sometimes referred to as “ditch divers” – and nine collisions, none of which involved injuries.
“It's important for Anchorage residents to remember that it is winter, and the snowfall is expected to continue,” police spokesman Adam Nicely said Tuesday morning. “And as street crews work to keep the roads clear, and APD responds to any incidents, people should take their time and drive carefully.”
Those plow crews were working around-the-clock to, first, clear main roads before turning to Anchorage’s residential areas, said Kenny Friendly, a spokesman for the city’s plowing operations. Clearing all of the city’s main thoroughfares would likely take up to 12 hours after the snow ended, he said.
“There's a lot of citizens who are calling with calls of service for their area, and we understand, but just please be patient,” Friendly said. “We'll get you on the list, and we'll be out there as soon as we can.”
And with state plow trucks responsible for state-maintained roadways in Anchorage, Friendly said some calls for service might be forwarded to state officials.
But for those who want to watch the city’s plows in action, from the comfort of their homes or offices, Friendly recommended the city’s tracker, which shows the plow trucks’ current location by GPS and their uplifting names.
“Oh yeah, absolutely, Bladey Gaga, The Berminator, Slick Sleddin’, I think, is one of the new ones that got put on there,” Friendly said with a laugh.
Crews had just gotten done clearing the city’s streets after the last major snowfall as the latest round rolled in, Friendly said.
“We were able to finish up in time just before this week's snow event,” he said. “But yeah, it's been a busy January, for sure.”
Brettschneider, the climatologist, said January is not typically a snowy month for Anchorage – the snowiest, on average, is December – but as Alaska’s climate has warmed, the city has seen snowier and snowier Januarys.
“I think, historically, that's because it used to be a lot colder in January, and it's just harder to squeeze out as much moisture in January, it being the coldest month,” Brettschneider said. “But now that January has warmed 5 or 6 degrees, that limitation really is no longer in effect.”
As notable as the snow, Brettschneider said, is the total amount of liquid equivalent of snow and rain that fell on the city in January: 2.76 inches.
“That just shatters our January record,” he said. “In fact, if we don't get any precipitation for the next 16 days, it will still be our wettest start to a year. And the amount of precipitation we've had so far in 2026 is the equivalent of what we normally have through May the 3rd, so it was just a really exceptionally wet start to the year.”
With four days left in January, Anchorage’s record snowfall for the month could, theoretically, continue to pile up, but the latest storm was expected to peter out, Brettschneider said.
“After we stop snowing during this event, we probably won't add anything to it before the calendar changes,” he said.
