December 16: An update to this post (Decemeber 16, 2022) is here. Anchorage, and indeed much of Southcentral was inundated with several rounds of snow between December 5th and 12th, including major storms December 6th to 7th and another storm December 11-12. The December 6-7th storm feature a dramatic spread in snowfall amounts across urban Anchorage, with west Anchorage receiving 11 to 15 inches while some areas on the east side of town (at low elevation) received 20 to 25 inches. The second storm saw less spread in snowfall amounts in Anchorage proper but much higher amounts than the first storm in the Palmer and Wasilla areas. Storm total reports from the NWS Anchorage Forecast Office. Fig 1. shows the NWS reported amounts for the first storm and Fig 2. for the December 11-12 storm (large format needed to make the reported amounts readable).
Is the heavy snow in Anchorage something like the lake effect snow in Buffalo and other places? Does wind blow along the sound picking up extra water?