A large weather system is set to hit Southcentral Alaska Tuesday. A majority of the impacts will be to the Eastern Kenai Peninsula with minimal impacts to the Central Peninsula.
The National Weather Service in Anchorage is calling for persistent snow through Thursday for Western Prince William Sound. According to the National Weather Service in Anchorage which spoke to KSRM, “In this particular situation, we are very confident that Southcentral is going to get another batch of snow and there’s certain areas that we think will get the lion’s share of the snow. The Kenai Mountains on the Kenai Peninsula, we think with the upslope enhancement and with the direct moisture feed off of the gulf of Alaska, that one’s a slam dunk. Hatcher Pass is another area that we think is slam dunk. Then the area around Prince William Sound, we think is a slam dunk.”
Light snow will begin Tuesday morning as a weak front moves into the area then stalls out and remains mostly stationary. Snow will then be reinforced by a low pressure system developing along the front in the North Pacific, which will then move towards Prince William Sound on Wednesday. Snow intensity will gradually increase, becoming heavy Wednesday afternoon. The heaviest snow will persist through the overnight, then gradually taper off Thursday morning. The highest snow totals of 12 to 18 inches are expected along the Seward Highway between Girdwood and Turnagain Pass, as well as extending east towards Whittier. Blowing snow along with reduced visibilities could also become a concern late Wednesday afternoon through Thursday as gusty outflow winds develop in conjunction with falling temperatures. Some uncertainty remains in the exact track of the low, which will dictate the expected snow totals and the timing of the heaviest snow.
If you live in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula, plan on potentially rough road conditions, which could impact the morning and evening commute. Impacts to Kenai and Soldotna are expected to be minimal.