Winter storm drops as much as two feet of snow in parts of the Northern Valley

The weather system that moved through the Northern Valley Monday and Tuesday dropped as much as two feet of snow in places, according to the National Weather Service’s Anchorage office.

Areas that received the most snow were Hatcher Pass and the area between Trapper Creek and Little Coal Creek.  Talkeetna received about a foot-and-a-half of snow, which is not far off the high end of the original forecast. Much of the rest of the Valley received between six and nine inches of fresh snow.

A combination of the wet snow and warm conditions prompted an avalanche warning for Hatcher Pass through Wednesday morning.  The Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center says traveling between Skeetawk and Independence Mine as well as Gold Mint and Archangel Valley is potentially very dangerous.  More information is available at hpavalanche.org.

The large amount of new snow in Hatcher Pass resulted in the breaking of the twenty-one year snow measurement for an entire season.  With months to go before that snow begins melting, it’s likely the new record amount will continue to rise.