Shipments of snow headed to unseasonably warm Anchorage for Iditarod race

Warm temperatures are affecting the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, forcing organizers to cut its length and rely on a shipment of snow from hundreds of miles away.

The Alaska Railroad is packing seven freight cars with snow from Fairbanks and delivering it to Anchorage, where the ceremonial leg of the race is set to kickoff on Saturday. Stan Hooley of the Iditarod Trail Committee said in a statement the city of Anchorage "worked very hard to find a way for us to go the full 11 miles. Unfortunately, the warm temperatures persisted and it is no longer possible this year." Now, this leg will only go for three miles. Despite the change, Hooley said fans won't notice anything different and will focus on the "excitement of having more than 1,000 of the most finely-tuned sled dogs in the world" in front of them.

Snow is in the forecast for Anchorage on Saturday, but it will be 37 degrees and the snow won't stick, the National Weather Service says. The city did have a stockpile of snow, but that already melted due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. The 1,100-mile race from Willow to Nome will start on Sunday, and it's expected to be a downright warm (for this time of year) 43 degrees with no snow.

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