In November 2023, snowfall in Anchorage, Alaska hit a record high. In 2023, winter weather in south-central Alaska is coming. Anchorage had its highest snowfall since records began in 1953, and it was just over halfway there. In addition, the 24-hour snowfall volume on a nearby mountain pass is also close to the national record.
Satellite images show dramatic changes
The images above capture the transition to winter in and around Alaska's most populous city. The images were taken by MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA's Aqua satellite on October 26 (above), before Anchorage had seen much snow, and on November 19 (below), when the snowpack set a new monthly snowfall record two days later. At the time, ground measurements at the National Weather Service's Anchorage office recorded 39.1 inches (993 mm) of snowfall in November, surpassing the previous record of 38.8 inches (985 mm) set in 1994.
Severe blizzards and their effects
Most of the snowfall - up to about 20 inches (500 millimeters) - fell in snowstorms from November 8 to 10. This snowstorm set a new record for daily snowfall on November 8th and 9th. The snowstorm caused local power outages, treacherous road conditions and office closures, according to news reports. Literally adding insult to injury, another snowstorm added nearly 9 inches of snow on Nov. 13, exacerbating the harsh conditions and prompting schools to switch to remote instruction for several days.
Heavy snowfall in mountainous areas
Snow accumulation in the outer mountains is much greater. On November 8, 72 inches (1.8 meters) of new snow was reported at Thompson Pass in the Chugach Mountains, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) east of Anchorage. The total, measured in one of the state's deepest snowpacks, is close to a century-old U.S. 24-hour snowfall record. Silver Lake, Colorado, still holds the record for April 1921, when 76 inches (1.9 meters) of snow fell in the Rockies.
The above image of NASA's Earth Observatory was taken by WanmeiLiang using MODIS data from NASA's EOSDISLANCE and GIBS/Worldview.