Snow in Anchorage makes headlines

Since when is snow in Anchorage, AK worthy of headlines?

An AP brief in the NY Times this morning says that Anchorage has had more snow this winter so far than is average for an entire winter on average.

"Last year at this time, crews were patching potholes created by a warming trend, and water was running in the streets... In a weather pattern attributed in part to a shift in the jet stream, the Rocky Mountains have had a series of blizzards in the past few weeks and extreme cold in central and Southern California has wiped out citrus crops, while the Northeast has had one of the mildest, least-snowy winters on record."

What's the problem with this? While people (ie the general public/mainstream media) often make the connection between warming weather trends and global warming (El Nino talk aside) the excess rains, and snows and cold weather anomalies aren't usually linked to climate change. For example, climate change talk has all but ceased, and New Yorkers have calmed down now that "normal" January weather has arrived.

Of course there is no hard proof that these little weather blips are in fact connected to the greater global climate shift - but when you add up all the unusual weather conditions around the world - and especially when snow in Anchorage makes the headlines - it does make me wonder...