A very white Christmas

• Snowblowing

Echo Press photo by Al Edenloff Cody Gulbranson of Alexandria fired up his snowblower to clear his driveway along 6th Avenue East. A snow emergency was declared over the weekend.
• Plowing the streets

Echo Press photo by Al Edenloff Plows created steep snowbanks on Alexandria streets on Christmas Day, including in the middle of 6th Avenue West near Broadway.

Talk about it

Besides the presents, the big meal and family gatherings, Christmas 2009 will be long remembered for one other thing: the snow.

It was relentless.

Snow began falling on December 23 when a little over a half-inch of flakes, 0.6 inches, accumulated.

Christmas Eve brought another 10.5 inches, followed by 4.5 inches on Christmas Day and another two inches on December 26.

All totaled, Alexandria received 17.6 inches of snow during the four-day period, according to statistics from Accuweather.com.

The steady snowfall cancelled many church services and other activities in the area.

There were several incidents of vehicles sliding into ditches but no serious injuries were reported in Douglas County. A dispatcher confirmed that most people seemed to heed the “no travel” warnings that were issued.

The snow, however, led to some medical problems. There were a few falls reported and a couple of people who were shoveling suffered heart problems.

The Alexandria street commissioner declared a snow emergency on Christmas Day, reminding citizens to move their vehicles off city streets to let the plows remove the snow.

City ordinances require owners to move their vehicles within 24 hours after a significant snowfall. Vehicles that are not moved will be towed.

Tags: local news, news, snow, christmas, storm, alexandria