‘Pandemic of Snow’ in Anchorage Sets Record for Earliest Arrival of 100 Inches of Snow

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Even by Alaska standards, there is a lot of snow this winter. So much snow has fallen—so far, more than 8.7 feet (2.65 meters)—that roofs on commercial buildings are collapsing around Anchorage and officials are urging residents to break out their shovels to avoid a similar fate at home. As of Tuesday morning, the three-day storm had dropped nearly 17 more inches (43 centimeters) of snowfall, pushing Alaska’s largest city past the 100-inch (254-centimeters) mark earlier than at any other time in its history. The city is well on track to break its all-time record of 134.5 inches (342 centimeters). Now, even winter-savvy Anchorage residents are getting fed up with the snow-filled streets and sidewalks, constant shoveling, and six days of pandemic-era remote learning. It is already in the record books with this year’s snowfall, at eighth snowiest with a lot of time left this season....