Cold, dry weather delays first snowfall

November 4, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Kory Cornquist isn't complaining about the lack of snow in Palmer and Wasilla.

&#8220It's an ideal situation as it is right now,” Cornquist, a snowmachine enthusiast who owns CC Ski Doo, said Wednesday. &#8220The cold weather is great. There's good ice forming on the swamps and lakes and rivers that will keep riding safer with less overflow. There's snow in the mountains already, which has riders happy.”

Southcentral regions typically have measurable snowfall by mid-October, however, weather records illustrate a tremendous variance between the dates of initial snowfalls - from September to December, according to meteorologist Bob Hopkins with the National Weather Service.

&#8220We're in a cool, dry weather regime through the weekend. It's a safe bet that won't stay around. The long-term forecast is for a normal amount of snow for winter,” Hopkins said.

As the air gets colder, it's able to hold less moisture, he said. Under those conditions, fewer viable snowstorms develop. Any dry snow that makes it to the ground doesn't stay around as long, Hopkins explained.

&#8220The storms that are being produced are south of us: the Gulf of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. As the jet stream changes and brings the storms toward us, we'll get a whole lot of snow all at once,” National Weather Service meteorologist Sam Albanese said.

Whether it's September or December that snow envelops the ground in white, the average amount usually balances out, Albanese said.

Anchorage gets 70-plus inches of snow a year; the two Mat-Su cities north of the Bowl receive considerably less. Wasilla gets 59.3 inches annually and Palmer receives 57.9 inches a year, according to the Western Regional Climate Center Web site. Sutton's snowfall tallies closer to Anchorage's, at 79.9 inches, the Web site said. A two-hour drive from Wasilla offers people an abundance of snow for recreational purposes. Talkeetna's average yearly snow accumulation hits 120.6 inches, according to the Web page.

A mid-November or later snow, which only happens 10 percent of the time, could cause problems in the spring if the ground freezes deep and thawing pipes burst, Albanese said. A layer of snow provides insulation, he said.

A late snow, or a snowfall that doesn't stick, can affect communities economically, Albanese said.

The canceling of the Iditarod restart would deal an economic blow to the community. Anyone who relies on winter recreation to make an income will suffer from lack of snow, and people who have plowing businesses could be affected, he said.

Bill Marsch, who relies on income from his business, Knik Road Service, is glued to the six o'clock news every night, praying for snow.

&#8220There was only one inch in Houston. Last year and the year before was pretty slow,” Marsch said.

Palmer resident Larry White, who has operated Lazy W. Snow Plowing since 1979, isn't fazed by the lack of snow.

&#8220I don't worry about no snow in October and early November. Our weather isn't like the Lower 48,” said White, who networks with two other snow-removal companies. &#8220There's times when we stay extremely busy, and times when we sit back and enjoy life.”

White recalls the '95-'96 winter season when snow held off until after Christmas.

&#8220We had to put hay on the ground to keep our water lines from freezing,” he said.

Albanese said the ground froze 9 feet deep that year. Without ground-insulating snow, city or borough governments will pay for broken water and sewer pipes later - possibly at a higher cost than what they saved on snow removal.

&#8220Another downside to not having snow: It's fun to forecast. And think of all the snowmachiners,” he said.

Although the snow isn't piling up yet on Palmer and Wasilla sidewalks and streets, it's present in the mountains, at the 1,500-foot level, Albanese said.

&#8220Several inches fell in Houston and further north like Trapper Creek. They had an event that had 12 inches,” Albanese said.

Cornquist has been loading his machines and heading north to Petersville for so-called &#8220road riding.” He said the foot-deep snowfall was wet, and had condensed. So, he opts for riding along snow-packed roads rather than entering the backcountry.

Other riders favor Hatcher Pass, which already has a nice layer of the white stuff, he said.

&#8220No one's in panic mode that it's not going to snow,” Cornquist said. &#8220Of course, for us winterheads, we would like it to happen sooner.”

Contact Dawn De Busk at

352-2252 or dawn.debusk@

frontiersman.com.