We have been busy around here, like always, with hockey, school play rehearsals, Christmas party's, cookie exchanges....and Christmas Shopping.
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| Canadian Christmas Party Dec 14 2013 - Snow storm again this year |
Update, 2 p.m. Sunday:
New snowfall totals for the recent storm, from the National Weather Service's morning update:
> Anchorage NWS office on Sand Lake Road: 13.1"
> Anchorage Hillside: 20.8"
> Lake Otis Parkway and 80th Avenue: 14.5"
> Girdwood: 26"
> Eagle River Nature Center: 13.4"
The 8.5" of snow the Weather Service measured Saturday at its Sand Lake office set a daily snowfall record with the most ever for Dec. 14, according to the agency's Facebook page.
Earlier story:
A winter storm Saturday blanketed Anchorage with the most snow it has seen so far this season.
The National Weather Service recorded 7.5 inches of snow late Saturday afternoon at Old Seward Highway and East Tudor Road. With snow still falling, the depth already topped the 7.3 inches recorded from the Nov. 10 snowstorm, said meteorologist Dave Stricklan.
Forecasters expected the storm to drop a total of 10 to 15 inches of snow on the city, Stricklan said. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory through 6 a.m. Sunday for Anchorage and the western Kenai Peninsula.
On the roads Saturday, heavy snowfall meant low visibility, but not necessarily an unusually large number of accidents, officials said.
By 5 p.m. Saturday, Anchorage police responded to 46 accidents, including one with injuries, 41 vehicles in distress and seven hit-and-runs, a police dispatcher said.
Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said roads were slick in Homer and Alaska Sate Troopers received a few reports of stuck vehicles in Soldotna. But overall accident reports were few, she said, especially when compared to those from the ice storms earlier this winter.
"Maybe people are staying home," she said.
At Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, traffic at the pick-up line remained steady, but the dining room was nearly vacant, said Megan McBride, customer service manager. Typically the restaurant is bustling, the waits are long and the noise volume is high, she said.
"The best indicator is, I can hear the music," McBride said. "On a Saturday night, that's very rare."
In Girdwood, Marc Vaugh described road conditions as "white-knuckle driving."
He said he kept an eye on a Seward Highway from his workplace window at the Tesaro gas station on the intersection of the highway and Alyeska Highway. He said he saw a plow truck pass every 30 or 40 minutes since he arrived around 1 p.m. Saturday.
"There's large volumes of traffic, it's consistently snowing, it's pretty bad," he said. "They're plowing as quick as possible, it's just one of those things."
Today my friend and I went to town shopping, and the views are so amazing it's so so beautiful here. I tried to take pictures with my phone on the drive home, haven't looked yet to see how they turned out and I'm sure they didn't show the true beauty, I was seeing.
It's been really cold again, our cat wanted to go outside today, I put him out and I think his nose froze so it wasn't to much time until he wanted back in.
We are getting our Christmas cards in the mail and have received package from Friends and Family from Canada...now I hoping our packages arrive in time for Christmas.
Well have a wonderful night, I will check back in soon.
