Anchorage is plunging into even deeper cold

Anchorage residents already contending with the snowiest winter to date on record can now expect bitter cold as clear skies bring the lowest temperatures of the season — and at least of the past few years.

An Arctic air mass was expected to settle over the region Tuesday and Wednesday, plunging the city into a deep cold snap with temperatures 20 to 30 degrees colder than what’s normally recorded this time of year.

Thursday and Friday are expected to see the lowest temperatures with lows around 20 below in Midtown and 25 to 28 below zero in East Anchorage, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eddie Zingone.

The deep chill in the forecast this week follows frigid weather late last week and into the weekend, when a storm blanketed the city with an additional 17 inches of snow on Sunday and Monday.

Officials say the brutal cold poses serious risks to unhoused residents, and the city opened warming facilities to provide emergency shelter.

A warmer air mass with cloud cover is expected to move into the area on Saturday, when temperatures are expected to start rising again, Zingone said.

A multiday cold snap in January 2020 brought temperatures as low as 20 below to Anchorage, he said.