Snowfall totals: A foot plus falls in Anchorage, Eagle River

More than a foot of snow fell on parts of Anchorage and Eagle River Friday night, the biggest winter storm to hit the area since January, forecasters said. A mass of cold, dry air moving up through Cook Inlet that mixed with a moist southeast air mass moving through Turnagain Arm stalled out over the region, churning out a heavy blanket of snow. Some people woke up to more than two feet of snow on their doorsteps. According to preliminary totals from the National Weather Service, 27 inches fell in Glen Alps on the Hillside. In the Anchorage Bowl, 16 inches fell in Oceanview and Midtown saw 16 inches. Forecasters acknowledged being caught off guard by the size of the storm. A winter weather advisory issued late Friday afternoon only predicted between three and six inches of snow. "It kind of spun right on top of us," said Dan Peterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Anchorage. On its Facebook page, the National Weather Service said in a post that the "highly localized nature" of the storm made forecasting its duration and intensity difficult. The snow tapered off mid-Saturday morning, and the weather service's forecast for the rest of the day calls for partly-cloudy skies and "numerous snow showers" in the evening hours. Snowfall totals varied across town, with the most snow falling in the higher elevations toward Turnagain Arm. Here are the preliminary snowfall totals for Anchorage and Eagle River as of 10 a.m. Saturday morning: ANCHORAGE BOWL: Oceanview Subdivision..................16.0 inches Midtown................................14.0 inches Northeast Anchorage....................11.1 inches 76th and Arctic........................11.0 inches Raspberry and Jewel Lake Rd............11.0 inches JBER....................................9.3 inches NWS Forecast Office on Sand Lake Rd.....6.6 inches ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE: Glen Alps..............................27.0 inches Upper Dearmoun.........................24.0 inches Upper O'Malley.........................21.5 inches EAGLE RIVER AND MATANUSKA VALLEY: Eagle River at end of Hiland Rd........14.1 inches Eagle River Valley.....................10.0 inches Butte..................................6.5 inches PALMER.................................4.5 inches Reach Devin Kelly at dkelly@adn.com or 257-4314. Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/03/15/3376201/snowfall-totals-more-than-a-foot.html#storylink=cpy