The National Weather Service in Anchorage has issued a special weather statement as they monitor the potential for an impactful weather event to occur across Southcentral this weekend.
According to the the National Weather Service, a storm-force low will enter the northern Gulf of Alaska Saturday afternoon through the evening, bringing a storm-force front first to Kodiak Island, then to the northern Gulf, including Prince William Sound and Passage Canal on Sunday. Gusty easterly winds are likely through Portage Valley and Turnagain Arm, beginning as early as Saturday night.
Accompanying this area of low pressure is a deep fetch of moisture which will also introduce warmer temperatures. This will likely result in a wintry mix of precipitation including rain, snow, freezing rain, sleet, or a combination of all throughout the event. Weather models are still struggling to resolve forecast details, and precipitation type remains the biggest challenge.
As of Friday, the National Weather Service is confident that the front will begin to impact Kodiak Island Saturday afternoon, and the southern Kenai Peninsula Saturday night into Sunday morning. As this system lifts northward, it will then affect the Anchorage Bowl, Matanuska Valley, and southern Copper River Basin during the day on Sunday, when the bulk of precipitation is expected to occur.
The National Weather Service will continue to monitor forecast closely and will be making frequent updates as we work to refine these details, especially regarding precipitation type.