It’s been a snowstorm that Whitehorse never sees.

Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist said this morning Whitehorse has seen two days in a row of recording-breaking snowfall.

“I can’t believe what you are getting,” he said. “It has me shaking my head.”

At 5 a.m. Friday, Lundquist said, there were five centimetres on the ground in Whitehorse.

As of 10:00 this morning, there were 41 centimetres on the ground, he said.

Lundquist said the snow was to begin tapering off as the day went along.

The Whitehorse airport was closed at 11 a.m. today.

Several roadways were still closed early this afternoon, including the Alaska Highway between Whitehorse and Watson Lake.

The South Klondike Highway was closed at the Carcross Cutoff and the North Klondike was closed, though local traffic is permitted so people can return to their homes. The Tagish Road between Jakes Corner and Carcross was also closed.

Canada Post sent out a notice cancelling service today because it’s unsafe for staff to be out.

Whitehorse residents woke this morning to their vehicles buried in snow, with even driveways being impassable, particularly for vehicles without four-wheel drive.

Schools around the city remained open though the road into Golden Horn Elementary School was impassable and had to be cleared before buses and vehicles could get through.

The Carcross school cancelled classes for the day, though the Star hadn’t heard of any other closure this morning.

The Standard Bus Yukon dispatcher said of the 42 buses that serve the Whitehorse area, seven were unable to do their routes because of the heavy snowfall, or they had mechanical problems.

The two Marsh Lake buses, for instance, were not able to operate because they were getting stuck.

Richard Graham, the city’s manager of operations, said this morning they have a full complement of transportation staff out clearing roads.

They began at about 8 p.m. Sunday and will continue to work around the clock for as long as they have to, he said.

Graham said the priority is keeping the main roads open to ensure emergency vehicles can get through if need be.

Keeping the transit bus routes clear is also a priority, he said, adding it’s likely going to be a while before crews can get into the sidestreets.

He said crews will be focused on keeping the roads clear, but they won’t be removing any snow just yet.

The operations manager said he’s never seen this much snow come down in such a short period of time.

“This is ridiculous; it’s crazy,” Graham said. “I mean, Mount Sima is going to love it, but it’s still crazy.

“Everything has been put out all night and everything is still out. “It’s going to be a long few days here, there’s no ifs ands about that.”

It was also all hands on deck for the Yukon government’s Department of Highways and Public Works, said Oshea Jephson, a communications officer with the department.

Jephson said the Whitehorse airport was closed at around 11 a.m. because crews were having trouble keeping up with clearing the runways.

As well, about half of the runway lights were buried in snow, he said.

The federal meteorologist said the snow storm was precipitated by a low pressure system coming off the Gulf of Alaska, carrying warm air from as far away as Hawaii.

The storm was concentrated in the southern Yukon, and Whitehorse in particular, he said.

“I think this has really hit Whitehorse with a vengence,” he said. “It’s truly a record-breaking two days in a row.”

Lundquist noted Whitehorse only ever has one day in November that sees 10 centimetres in a day – once every five years.

Dawson City, he pointed out, didn’t get any snow and Mayo just had a little. Carmacks received 12 centimetres while Haines Junction got 10 centimetres and nine centimetres fell in Fort Nelson, B.C.