Winter in Alaska is always been a tricky and dangerous time for the largest state in America.  It is the time when most hardy Alaskans use their considerable extreme weather skills, and come up with ways to deal with the darkness and the cold.  The extreme of cold and snow this winter, in 2011-2012, has created havoc for the state, and even those who have years and decades in experience with winter are reeling from this winter.  The areas of the state are worth reviewing, because most of us in America have no geographic knowledge of where things are in the state. Here is the winter in Alaska map, with the current snowfall for today’s date, January 11, 2012.

Map of Alaska

Image courtesy of Lonely Planet

Winter in Alaska for 2011-2012

If you are looking for the cities that have been hit the hardest from the Winter in Alaska in 2011-2012, look no further than Cordova. To the east of Anchorage, they are experiencing over 18 feet of snowfall, and all of it in less than 30 days. Here in Minnesota, we have had no real snowfall, and many are saying that farmers will be experiencing drought conditions this coming summer.  The most hardy of Alaskans are used to the high snowfall totals, especially in cities like Cordova.  But, when fuel trucks and other energy providers cannot get through to ensure residents have energy to keep warm, the national guard must be called in to manage what is unusual, even for winter in Alaska.

Winter in Alaska Averages

Most cities in Alaska average from 70 inches of snow to 100 inches in the most heavy precipitation areas.  This is fairly common for temperatures that average around 10 degrees or less for the winter months, as all precipitation falls as snow.  The most snow that was received in Alaska was 560.7 in the winter of 1989-1990, and that was record snowfall for Alaska near the Thompson pass which is north of Valdez, and not heavily populated.  The areas that are receiving record snowfall, like Anchorage and Cordova are more populated, although Cordova is only a city of 2,000.

Alaska Snow Depth January 2012

Image courtesy of http://www.iditarodforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=100

So, it is not unheard of to receive feet of snow for days, but in the areas that are snowed in, and having some issues getting food, energy and assistance, it is troublesome for certain.  Having a plan, the cities are spending time removing snow from roofs that are having trouble with the weight of the snow, and there are many residents that are being careful to keep up with their snow fall amounts each day, keeping a path clear, and heading out to the roof.

Winter in Alaska Temperatures

As mentioned, Alaska stays well below freezing in winter.  There are not many days where the precipitation can arrive in the form of rain after the end of September.  The winter in Alaska always arrives with the jet stream changing paths from the southern United States, and dropping to the border of Canada and the U.S.  When this happens, the cold pockets of air that stay hovering over the North Pole drop further South, and the temperatures plummet.  There have been many below zero readings in this winter in Alaska, with below temps of 45 below zero not unheard of.

In this range, the winter in Alaska is harder than in recent years, and can be deadly if not properly prepared for.