A storm passing over Southcentral Alaska is expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow to the Anchorage bowl by Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.
On Thursday afternoon, winter weather advisories were in effect across Southcentral and Interior Alaska, forecasting snowfall from the Kenai Peninsula to Fairbanks.
According to the forecast, Anchorage, the Matanuska Valley and Susitna Valley can expect between 7 to 14 inches of snow by Friday afternoon. The Kenai Peninsula was forecast to see between 4 to 8 inches of snow by Friday. Additional snowfall was expected in Southcentral on Saturday.
The weather system moving through Southcentral is expected to bring snow in two waves. Snowfall that began Thursday afternoon is expected to taper off by Thursday night. A second period of "substantial snowfall" is expected to sweep over Southcentral Friday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service wrote on its Facebook page that the winter storm could possibly linger until Sunday.
But even if it only snows through Saturday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Shaun Baines said, it would be the most significant snowfall of the winter so far in Southcentral Alaska.
In the Interior communities of Healy and Denali National Park, winter storm warnings were in effect Thursday. Ten to 14 inches of snow were forecast through Friday evening. A second set of "heavy snowfall" was possible Saturday and Sunday, according to the weather service.
Fairbanks is also expected to see between 2 to 8 inches of snow, and a weather advisory will be in effect starting Friday morning through Saturday morning.