Multiple storms will hit Southcentral Alaska making the Thanksgiving holiday commute difficult.
According to a special weather statement from the National Weather Service, multiple storms will hit Southcentral Alaska making the Thanksgiving holiday commute difficult. A series of winter storms are expected to impact Southcentral through the weekend. The first frontal system will arrive Wednesday morning on the Kenai Peninsula and push north into the Anchorage Bowl and Mat-Su Valleys by Wednesday afternoon. Gusty winds are expected through the Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm on Wednesday. These winds will also increase afternoon high temperatures into the mid-to-upper 30s which may result in some snowmelt courtesy of Chinook Winds.
The National Weather Service in Anchorage spoke to KSRM confirming the coming winter weather, “We’re going to have a series of winter storms that will be moving through Southcentral Alaska. The first of which, we’re expecting tomorrow morning, on the Kenai Peninsula. That will push into the Anchorage Bowl area and up into the Valley tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have some gusty winds along Turnagain Arm.”
Anyone driving to and from the Kenai Peninsula tomorrow can expect to have windy conditions if they’re driving the Seward Highway, according to the National Weather Service in Anchorage. They said that a High Wind Watch is in effect for Turnagain Arm Wednesday. East winds are expected between 40-60mph with wind gusts up to 80mph.
If you plan on heading up into Anchorage, tomorrow is going to be a messy travel day. “As far as precipitation goes with that, you can expect rain in the lower elevations. It’s going to be a messy snow to drive through when you get up into the passes. Anybody that’s pulling into Anchorage, it’s going to be a rain/snow mix going to all snow overnight.
Another storm system is expected to reach Southcentral Thursday night. This system is much colder than its predecessor with snow likely. Snow will begin over the Kenai Peninsula late Thursday night and extend north throughout the day on Friday. NWS Anchorage told KSRM, “Thursday night, anybody traveling back from thanksgiving, they’ll have another storm to contend with. We’re looking more like snow. Just a lot of sloppy driving over Thanksgiving holiday.”
Forecasters say to expect slower driving conditions. “Plan for slower driving conditions and having to take your time getting to places because it will get messy on the roads. Plan on taking some time during your day to take a little longer where you need to be”
Variation in temperature, wind, and precipitation type and accumulation over high terrain may result in dangerous avalanche conditions. For those with back country interests, be sure to check out the latest avalanche forecasts at: cnfaic.org and hpavalanche.org for further details.
Please visit weather.gov for your Holiday forecasts and any updates.