Typically, the first snowfall in Anchorage is recorded in October.  Long time residents say that it is quite common to be trudging through snow for Halloween.  While we had a good amount fall on September 23rd, it did accumulate for long enough to be counted as “the first snow fall”.  So here we were almost 10 days into November without a recorded snow, and it’s one of those things you know you will get hit with, you just don’t know when.

That when was Sunday Nov 10th.

Actually, Nov. 9th we counted for snow, but it was an ugly mess.  We had about an inch or two come down on Saturday, only enough to cover the streets and make the grass funky looking.  Rains came Saturday night, though, which melted it all and made every road an ice rink.

Sunday, there was a prediction of snow, but it didn’t seem to be all that serious.  It started falling just past noon, and didn’t seem to be all that heavy at first.  By 5PM, however, the story-line turned.  While just falling snows (no windy blizzard or white outs), it was really starting to build up.  In the end, Anchorage saw seven inches of snow, as big of a storm as we saw all last year.  In the Mat-Su Valley to the north of here, they had as much as 13 inches.  All this time waiting for winter to begin, and here it is — plus making up for lost time.

Spending the morning digging out everything made for a rough Monday, but the skies are clearing and traffic is moving.

Usually, I would guess this stuff will be here come April, but the forecast doesn’t support that.  Rain and in the 40s come Thursday will mean all this white will become a mess of soupy ugly.

I guess, though, we can now agree that it is winter time.