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Doggone weather: Train full of snow arrives to aid Iditarod

Workers offload an Alaska Railroad train that delivered tons of snow to Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday, March 3, 2016, after traveling 360 miles south from Fairbanks. The snow will be used to help provide a picturesque ground cover on the streets for the ceremonial start of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, where persistent above-freezing temperatures have melted much of the local snow. The competitive part of the race kicks off Sunday 50 miles to the north in Willow. (AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro)
Workers offload an Alaska Railroad train that delivered tons of snow to Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday, March 3, 2016, after traveling 360 miles south from Fairbanks. The snow will be used to help provide a picturesque ground cover on the streets for the ceremonial start of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, where persistent above-freezing temperatures have melted much of the local snow. The competitive part of the race kicks off Sunday 50 miles to the north in Willow. (AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro)

By Associated Press 3 min read

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s largest city is so hungry for snow, organizers of the famous Iditarod sled dog race were forced to ship tons of it by train Thursday and dramatically shorten the event’s ceremonial start this weekend.

Here is a look at what it took to get Saturday’s fan-friendly parade of mushers and their four-legged teams back on track amid a warm winter that shrank Anchorage’s piles of race-worthy snow.

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DOGGONE THE WEATHER

Persistent above-freezing temperatures over the last few weeks have melted much of the snow in town, including stockpiles the city tried to set aside for the ceremonial start. The competitive part of the 1,000-mile race kicks off Sunday, 50 miles to the north.