Alaska Blizzard: Anchorage, Cordova Snow Breaks Records [PHOTOS]

Snowmageddon: Alaska isn't quite over yet. Alaskans exhausted from digging out up to 81 inches of snow from a brutal blizzard braced for even heavier snowfall on Thursday.

Meteorologists warned residents that up 16 inches of snow could be making its way in Anchorage, topping off what has broken records as the snowiest period for the area on record, The Associated Press reported. As of Thursday afternoon, The Weather Channel reports about 4-6 inches had accumulated.

National Guard troops are helping residents in the Prince William Sound community of Cordova, a small town 150 miles southeast of Anchorage, dig out from the of snow that buried it earlier this week. So far, Cordova has accumulated 172 inches since Nov. 1.

Warmer temperatures, howling winds and piling snow are also an unwelcome recipe for avalanches. The city - home to 2,200 people - warned residents not to stand under the eaves of their houses for fear the snow may pile down on them.

Simple shovels weren't doing enough to dig out the snowbound town. An emergency shipment of bigger, tougher shovels was ordered Thursday from Quebec.

We will be shipping 72 shovels to Alaska by plane tomorrow to help, Genevieve Gagne, product manager of shovel maker Garant, told The Associated Press. The shovels cost $50 each and are paid for by Alaska's emergency funds.

Still, Anchorage schools were open Thursday. Some bus routes were canceled because whitewash conditions made driving dangerous.