Chinook wind creates chaos

But the real problems didn't start until Wednesday, when a big thaw took hold.

Extremely slick local roads on Wednesday morning caused nearly 100 accidents and a wave of school and government closures. The snowpack started to melt. Warmer air blasted down from the mountains.

The combination of ice and wind turned the city's hilly neighborhoods into a zoo on Wednesday morning. People said they fell in their driveways and abandoned their cars on the side of the road.

Despite his all-wheel drive, studded-tire Subaru, Chris Cook had to give up on his morning drive to town. Before getting out of his Hillside neighborhood, the Subaru began to slide on a layer of ice.

"It was kind of like a luge run down on the Hillside," he said.

So what happened, and what's the rest of the week going to be like?

Local roads are expected to be in better shape this morning, city officials said.

Weather forecasters said Anchorage will thaw all week -- during the daytime, anyway -- due to a classic January chinook weather pattern. Warm air from the tropics is blowing in and is expected to linger until mid-weekend. Daytime temperatures are expected to stay above freezing until Saturday night.

This chinook is more intense than usual because of the bitter cold air mass that preceded it, said Weather Service meteorologist Dan Samelson.

Gusts up to 95 mph blasted the Glen Alps area on Wednesday. Gusts up to 105 mph on the Hillside were expected in the evening. More severe winds are expected on Thursday and Friday nights, Samelson said.

The cold air moved southward and now, the Lower 48 is getting whopped. Temperatures in the Midwest and New England swooped well below zero on Wednesday, causing at least one death.

BLOWN INTO BERM

Here in Anchorage, the wet, icy streets on Wednesday caused nearly 100 traffic accidents and resulted in the closure of public schools, the city's two universities, state courts; the Alyeska ski resort; and the temporary shutdown of local bus service.

Local midwife Trina Strang tried to leave her Hillside home three times on Wednesday morning. First time, she couldn't get out of her garage. The second time, the wind was so intense it pushed her car into a snow berm. She finally got off to work at noon, after friends told her the major roads had been sanded.

But early afternoon, rapid snowmelt had begun. Temperatures spiked to above 40 degrees in some spots in the city. A layer of slush coated many icy roads, making for "interesting driving," Anchorage police spokesman Dave Parker said.

Local bus service was restored just before 3 p.m.

Four jury trials were in progress downtown in the morning, but only because the jurors arrived before officials decided to close state court in Anchorage and Palmer, officials said.

Police worked on 94 accidents -- including 11 with injuries -- between midnight and 8:30 p.m.

Police reported another 196 vehicles in distress -- which can mean cars that ended up in a ditch.

WARMER UNTIL WEEKEND?

State troopers reported "extremely icy conditions" on the Parks Highway from Big Lake to at least Trapper Creek. Until noon today, driving conditions are expected to remain hazardous on the Seward Highway northbound from Mile 90 at Girdwood to Mile 115 at the Potter Creek viewpoint due to storm-force winds and surface-water hazards, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The Weather Service is predicting a chance of rain in the morning today and rain likely in the afternoon, with highs in the mid-30s to lower 40s. High winds are expected again tonight and Friday night in Turnagain Arm and the Hillside.

The Weather Service predicted temperatures won't get below 30 until Saturday night.

On Wednesday, the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage asked its members and other trail users to stay off the trails until the snow refreezes. Otherwise, the trails will turn into solid ice, said Diane Moxness, the executive director.

Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317.