'Pandemic of snow' causes roofs to collapse after record 8ft falls in city

30 January 2024 , 13:18

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A man uses a shovel to remove snow from his roof as advised by Anchorage officials (Image: AP)

Alaska has seen a record 100 inches of snowfall this winter, causing roofs to collapse and residents to bring out their shovels.

Over 8.5 feet (260cm) of snow has so far fallen, with officials in Anchorage urging residents to shift the snow off their roofs to prevent them collapsing - as has happened on commercial buildings in the city. There were over 16 inches (41cm) of snow over the weekend alone, with Alaska’s largest city reaching the 100-inch mark more quickly than it ever has before.

Anchorage is well on track to break its all-time record of 134.5 inches (342cm) of snow over winter, already sitting in eighth place with much of winter yet to come. It would smash last year's total of 107.9 inches (274cm) in Anchorage and would just be the second time in the city’s history that it has seen consecutive years of 100-plus inches of snow, the last time being 1954 to 1956.

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Tamera Flores described the snow in Anchorage as "miserable" (AP)

But Anchorage residents aren’t so enthused by the snow. Tamera Flores, an elementary school teacher seen shovelling her driveway, described it as “miserable” and a “pandemic of snow”.

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

Last year the snow proved to be fatal after a gym roof collapsed killing someone below, one of 16 such roof collapses. This year, the roofs of three commercial buildings have collapsed due to the snow.

Officials have said people should remove their snow, particularly if there are signs of structural issues, which include: creaking, popping, cracking or other noises made by the roof suggesting it is under stress from the weight of the snow. If windows or doors are jammed, this could be a sign that the snow is causing the house to deform.

Roofs are collapsing under the strain (AP)

"This winter is definitely rough, but us Alaskans are definitely built different," said resident Damon Fitts as he shovelled snow. "We can handle 100 inches of snow and still make it to work on time. We can put up with a lot." Companies in Anchorage have even begun advertising services to remove snow from roofs to make some extra cash.

But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom as Anchorage sets on course to its heaviest snowfall in history. One homeowner erected a three-tiered snowman over a whopping 20-feet (6 metres) tall, naming it Snowzilla. It drew people from around the city to take photos of the mega snow sculpture.

The old adage that it is "too cold to snow" has been disproven this year (Getty Images)

Anchorage was below zero (minus 17.7C) for seven days last week, and snowfall only came once it had warmed up a little. But the old saying that it can be too cold to snow might not be so popular this year, after Sunday’s storm brought an inch of snow when temperatures were minus 16.6 C or colder for the first time since 1916, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kenna Mitchell.

Alex Croft