What the First Anchorage Snowstorm Looks Like When You Have a Plow Route

First storm, 2 AM. Driveway done, lights on, nobody up.

What you need to know

• The first real Anchorage storm usually shows up in October and it catches half the city without a plan.
• If you are on a route, the whole thing happens while you sleep. Trigger, text, truck, done.
• The muni plows the street after us and leaves a berm. On Pro Unlimited we come back for it on heavy storms.
• The one thing you have to do is move the car when the second text comes.

Kaedyn Jennings Owner, Snip&Clip Alaska. Residential snow plowing in Palmer, Wasilla, the Butte and Anchorage.

People who have never had a plow route ask what it is actually like. Here is the first storm of the season, hour by hour, for somebody in Anchorage who signed up in September.

Hour by hour

1. 7 PMSnow starts. You do nothing. You do not check an app, you do not call anybody.
2. 10 PMIt passes about 2 inches at your address. The trigger trips and you get a text that your driveway is scheduled.
3. 2 AMThe route is running. You get a second text that the truck is a few stops out. If the car is in the driveway, this is when you move it. On Pro you can watch the truck on the map.
4. 2:20 AMDone. The driveway is clear, the pile is where the stakes said it goes, and the truck is on to the next one.
5. 6:30 AMYou open the garage and drive out. Your neighbor who did not sign up is shoveling.
6. Later that day or the nextThe muni plows your street and leaves a berm across the end of your driveway. On Pro Unlimited, heavy storms include a second pass and we come back for it.

The berm, because it is coming

The municipality plows main roads first and residential streets when it gets to them. When it does, it pushes everything to the side of the road, and the side of the road is the end of your driveway. That is the order it always happens in and it is why Pro Unlimited includes second pass coverage on heavy storms. If you are on Per Push, a berm after service is a quick billable add on through the office.

After the second pass. The end of the driveway is open again.

The one thing you have to do

Move the carThe second text gives you warning. A car in the middle of the driveway turns a full pass into a half pass.

That is itEverything else is automatic. You do not confirm, request, or approve anything.

If something looks wrong in the morningYou have the texts, so you know exactly what happened and when. Call or text the office.

If the wind undoes itText the office and it goes back on the list.

If you are not on a route yet

Anchorage coverage runs by route and the first storm is when the open routes fill. Fill out the form and we tell you within 24 hours whether your street is open. If it is not, two or three neighbors signing up together is what opens it, and the Buddy System takes 10 percent off for each of you.

The storm that makes people call. Sign up before it.

Quick answers

What time will my driveway be done?

On a normal storm, overnight, before the morning commute. The scheduled text tells you it is coming and the second text tells you when.

What if the storm is still going at 6 AM?

On a storm that is still going we may let it stack to about 6 inches so the pass lasts, and you get texted either way. The three day storm has its own post.

Do you plow my part of Anchorage?

Coverage runs by route. Send the form and we tell you within 24 hours.

What if I sleep through the text?

The driveway still gets plowed. If the car was in it, the operator does what he can and you will see it in the morning.

2026 to 2027 season

Routes fill by neighborhood.
Lock yours in now.

Billing starts October 1. Once a neighborhood is at capacity it closes and late signups go on a waitlist.

Get my snow plowing quoteOr call or text (907) 215 7012