Does it snow in Alaska? Of course she does. But the reality of how much snow Alaska gets can be very different from the popular concept of snowfall in Alaska.
Many people think of Alaska as a barren land where it constantly snows in massive amounts and where everyone lives in igloos. Such a concept makes Alaska sound like a cold white land.
Actually, Alaska has more green lakes, rivers, and trees than any other state in the US. The state is intensely green and rich most of the year. But total precipitation and total snowfall may be much less than you think.
Alaska Snowfall Totals
Here are some average annual precipitation and snowfall totals for a cross section of Alaska.
Anchorage — 15.37″ Precipice —- 69.0″ Snowfall
Wheelbarrow ——- 4.67″ ———– 28.0″
Fairbanks—-10.37″———–68.0″
Homer ——- 24.93″ ———– 58.0″
Juneau —— 52.86″ ———– 101.0″
McGrath —– 16.18″ ———– 93.0″
Name ——– 15.64″ ———– 56.0″
Valdez ——- 61.50″ ———– 320.0″
By comparison, Buffalo, New York receives an average of 80″ to 100″ of snow per year. Some sections of upstate New York, equally affected by their proximity to the Great Lakes, receive an average of 150″ to 200″ of snowfall per year. Hooker, NY received 466″ of snow during the winter of 1976-1977.
Minneapolis, Minnesota received its heaviest seasonal snowfall total of 98″ during the winter of 1983-1984.
As you can see from the Alaska totals above, most of Alaska is relatively dry, receiving less than 20″ of precipitation per year. The south central and southeast coastal areas receive much more precipitation.
The far north of Alaska receives rainfall totals typical of a desert. Notice Barrow’s annual total of just 4.67″ of moisture. Of course, most of that total falls as snow. Due to ice below the ground and a lack of intense drying, runoff and evaporation from the sun is minimal. That’s why northern Alaska is not a dry desert despite small amounts of precipitation.
Alaska Snowfall Records
Extremes are always interesting to hear about and they certainly can be found in Alaska. For example, Thompson Pass, a popular extreme skiing and snowboarding area north of Valdez, once received a record 974.5″ of snowfall during the winter of 1952-1953.
Thompson Pass recorded 62″ of snow during a single 24-hour period in December 1955. During February 1953, Thompson Pass received a record 297.9″ of snow. That’s almost 25 feet of snow in just one month!
The deepest snowpack on record in Alaska, and the deepest in all of North America, occurred on Wolverine Glacier on the Kenai Peninsula during the winter of 1976-1977. The depth was 356″. That’s packed, condensed snow. Almost 30 feet deep!
By comparison, Barrow, in the dry north, received a record minimum amount of snowfall during the winter of 1935-1936 of just 3″.
Here are a couple of other extremes for total precipitation. Montague Island in 1976 received a record 332.29″ of precipitation. That’s almost an inch of rain per day! Barrow, on the other hand, received only 1.61″ of precipitation for all of 1935.
Alaska stores an immense amount of fresh water in its glaciers. A staggering 75% of the world’s fresh water is found in glaciers around the world and Alaska has more than its fair share.
Alaska has more than 5,000 glaciers that cover more than 100,000 square miles. Alaska has more glaciers than the rest of the world combined, excluding the Antarctic and Greenland ice fields.
Valdez, the Switzerland of the North
Valdez is located on the south central Alaska coast and receives an average of over 300″ of snow per year. There are typically 6 foot snowdrifts on rooftops in the city. The canyon, a few miles north from Valdez, is home to several frozen waterfalls and makes Valdez a world class destination for ice climbers.
Thompson Pass, further north of Valdez, boasts some of the best helicopter-accessible extreme skiing and snowboarding terrain in all of North America. No wonder Valdez has been called “the Switzerland of the North.”
Every year Valdez celebrates a Winter Carnival. During the 1990 Winter Carnival period, the year’s snowfall topped the 500″ mark. As part of the winter celebration, the city showed the movie “Back to the Beach” on a 20-foot by 18-foot “screen.” feet that had carved into a snowbank Let’s talk about an outdoor drive-in!
What is snow?
Snow is frozen crystalline ice and the size and shape of the crystals depend on the temperature of their formation and the amount of water vapor present during formation.
Pure snow crystals are hexagonal, six-sided. The basic water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom and forms a triangle with three equal sides. During crystallization, each new ice crystal bud forms at a 60 degree angle. Crystallization continues until 6 of these triangles are completed. As the crystal falls through the atmosphere, it becomes larger and larger, its six-sided structure becoming the framework for more complex snowflakes.
Common snowflake shapes include stars, needles, planes, columns, crowned columns, dendrites, and irregular clusters. Some snowflakes can be up to 1″ in diameter.
For one of the most interesting human stories about snowflake research, consider Wilson Bentley’s. He acquired the nickname “Snowflake” Bentley because he was the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885. He studied more than 5,000 snowflakes and declared that no two snowflakes are exactly alike, a quote that has been passed down for generations. in generation. anonymously ever since.
In 1931, the year Snowflake Bentley died, he published a book entitled, snow crystals. The book contained over 2,400 images of Snowflake Bentley.
How many Eskimo words are there for snow?
It has been said that there are 52 words in the Eskimo, Inuit or Yupik language for snow. It has also been said that there are 21 words, and it has also been said that there are more than 400. Where is the truth?
The idea that since snow is so important to the lives of northern native peoples that there must be a multitude of words to describe it has reached the level of myth. The truth of the matter is that there are probably as many Eskimo words for snow as there are English words for snow.
Climate Changes in Alaska
According to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, “Alaska is more affected by global climate change than anywhere else in the world.” Global warming has been a trend for many years, but very few places show as many consequences of the trend as Alaska. The average temperature has risen almost 7 degrees in the last 30 years.
Changes due to a warming climate mean, for example, that the permafrost in Fairbanks and other cities is no longer permanent. The land has subsided due to melting permafrost and jacks are needed on many buildings to keep them level. Farther north, in Barrow, there are now mosquitoes where there were none before.
In the coastal town of Shishmaref, rising water has been eroding the land below the town’s buildings. The town may have to move inland.
Spruce bark beetles have killed 4 million acres of white spruce forests on the scenic Kenai Peninsula, the largest insect-caused devastation ever experienced in North America. The beetles have been able to reproduce at twice their normal rate due to the higher summer temperatures. Dead trees pose a great fire hazard around numerous populated areas, and major recreational sections are threatened.
The glaciers have been retreating at an incredible rate. Portage Glacier, south of Anchorage, has receded so much in the last 20 years that it is no longer visible from the visitor center. The Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound is currently the fastest moving glacier in the world, retreating 80 to 115 feet per day. It has gone back more than 6 miles since 1982.
There are still plenty of glaciers and lots of snow in Alaska, but the changes are happening at a faster rate and will have effects around the world.