Winter makes brief comeback to Southcentral Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Surprise!

Many across Southcentral Alaska are waking up to the return of winter, with a few inches of snow expected over the next few days. In addition to the snow, pockets of wintry mix will be expected, as cooler weather remains with us through the first part of this week.

Active weather remains with the Gulf of Alaska this week, with periodic rain showers building into Southeast Alaska. Most of the state is on the cooler side this week, with the warmest locations expected for the Panhandle.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

Active weather in the Gulf, combined with incoming colder air, is leading to some light snow showers this morning. Snow amounts have been very light across the region, with higher elevations of the hillside seeing better chances for several inches over the next few days. Be careful on the roads as the recent return to snow will lead to some hazardous and slick roads over the next couple of days.

While any snow will transition into a wintry mix through the day, we’ll see a transition back to snow Monday night into early Tuesday morning. This comes as overnight lows continue to remain cold enough. As a result, any moisture we see this week will likely remain snow through the night, with a gradual transition to a wintry mix each afternoon. While this will eat into the amount of snow we’ll see, most locations will pick up a few inches by the middle of the week.

Areas of Prince William Sound will largely stay rainy this week, although pockets of light snow and/or a wintry mix are to be expected near Whittier and Thompson Pass. Portage Valley may stay snow most of the event, with the potential for 3 to 6 inches of snow by the middle of the week. This will also include areas of Turnagain Pass, where additional snow could make roads very slick in the days ahead.

Little change in the forecast throughout the week, as precipitation chances remain with us. While temperatures will be cooler today in the 30s, we warm back into the 40s for the latter half of this week.

SOUTHEAST:

Active weather in the Gulf of Alaska will keep several lows rotating through the region. This will keep periodic to widespread rain in the forecast through most of this week. Today the heaviest rain looks to favor areas near Yakutat, where up to an inch of rain looks likely. The rest of Southeast will see anywhere from a quarter to just under three-quarters of an inch of rain.

Expect heavier rain to build in throughout the week, with many areas of the panhandle could see 1 to 2 inches of rain by Wednesday. While wet weather will be the focus this week, we’ll see some dry time throughout the week. Temperatures will still stay fairly warm, with many areas warming into the upper 40s daily.

INTERIOR:

Light snow showers are falling this morning, as a cold front sweeps across the region today. Temperatures have been falling with the frontal passage, with many areas waking up to temperatures in the single digits and teens.

This stretch of cold weather continues to build east, with many areas of the Interior expected to stay below freezing today. Any snow showers we see will remain light, with most locations seeing 1 to 3 inches to be expected.

While cooler weather is prevalent Monday, a warming trend will take hold the rest of the week. This will bring the freeze/thaw back into focus for the Interior, as highs climb back into the 40s, while overnight lows drop near or below freezing.

NORTH SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:

Light snow showers for the North Slope will gradually taper off through the afternoon hours, with a few inches of snow looking possible. Most of the snow that will linger into the evening, will primarily impact areas east of Prudhoe Bay. These locations can expect to see 1 to 3 inches of snow into Tuesday. While winds won’t be much of a concern, we’ll see some gusty conditions up to 30 mph today. The strongest winds look to take hold near the Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast.

Colder air has been spreading east across the state, with the core of the cold air located across Northwestern Alaska. While the main focus for the next few days will be colder conditions, some light snow will still be possible. An area of low pressure near Gambell/St. Lawrence is keeping some gusty winds and snow in the forecast.

As a result, a winter weather advisory has been issued until 7 p.m. for 1 to 3 inches of snow and gusts up to 40 mph. This storm system will move to the southeast into the night, with parts of the Yukon Delta and through the Kuskokwim Delta Coast seeing a few inches of snow overnight into Monday morning.

ALEUTIANS:

While heavy snow, blizzard conditions and gusty winds were the story last week, the Aleutians will see significantly quieter weather today. While we can’t rule out some light snow for the Alaska Peninsula into the evening hours, most areas will just see some isolated activity.

We’ll keep with the fairly quiet weather for most of this week, with the bigger story this week the cooler weather. Temperatures will be slow to warm for most of the Aleutians, with highs today in the 30s. We’ll see a slow climb back into the 40s by week’s end.

AVALANCHE WEATHER:

Turnagain Pass: Considerable avalanche danger at all levels. Both wet and dry avalanche concerns remain.

Summit Lake: Moderate avalanche conditions at all levels, with wet snow avalanches being the biggest concern.

Seward/Lost Lake: Considerable avalanche danger at all levels. Both wet and dry avalanche concerns remain.

OUTLOOK AHEAD:

Cooler weather looks to remain with us for a large portion of Western and Southwest Alaska this week. Meanwhile, the active and wet weather will stick around for the gulf coast region. Due to the nature of temperatures throughout the atmosphere, snow and rain is to be expected across Southcentral. We’ll see the best chance for snow during the night and early mornings, while the afternoon hours show the best chance for any rain in the forecast. Even then, inland areas will remain on the lighter side with precipitation. Any snow accumulation will remain on the light side, outside of higher elevations.

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