As Anchorage Eclipses Annual Snowfall Record, Weary Residents Dodge Potholes, Shovel Roofs and Brace for Flooding.ANCHORAGE, Alaska—As the rest of the U.S. emerges from an unusually warm winter, this northern metropolis shattered its annual snowfall record Saturday and faces an epic mess as months-old snow piles melt to leave behind floods, potholes and broken roofs.
So much snow remains in Alaska's largest city that officials said it may take another month for it to be hauled away or melt off—and that some piles likely will remain until next winter. On March 28, Mayor Dan Sullivan warned residents to brace for a rash of potholes created as snowmelt freezes at night and thaws by day.
To help get water off streets, Mr. Sullivan said city crews have brought in extra pumps as well as steam boilers to thaw frozen drains. Already, the city has spent $12 million on snow removal this season, or $4 million more than for the same period a year ago.
"We haven't seen the tip of the problem yet," Dan Southard, superintendent of Anchorage's public works department, said last week outside a city dump that held snow piled 85 feet high and the length of five football fields. Anchorage's five other designated snow dumps are also stacked high, he said. Read More
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