Weather

Warm weather, freezing rain wreak havoc on Alaska road conditions

Update, 6:30 a.m., Monday:

Fairbanks North Star Borough schools are closed Monday because of icy conditions, the district's website said, and all school-related classes are canceled as well because of the freezing rain. Classes are also canceled for Monday at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the university said in an alert, though the campus will remain open.

Original story:

Freezing rain and unseasonably warm weather prompted officials to issue widespread travel advisories for Interior Alaska on Sunday morning, urging people to stay inside and off the roads unless travel was absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, continued rain falling on already slick streets in Southcentral Alaska prompted a special weather statement spanning from Talkeetna to Homer.

The Fairbanks Police Department on Sunday warned of "extreme" driving conditions and cautioned against non-essential travel.

"Drivers are encouraged to stay off the roadways," the department wrote in a release. "If you must drive, use extreme caution."

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities echoed the sentiment, warning drivers of ice accumulation on the roads.

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"Interior roads are covered in ice," the DOT wrote on Facebook. "All available trucks are out sanding, but please remember that sand stays on the roads for a limited time."

The city of Fairbanks reported Sunday afternoon crews with the Public Works Department had been out sanding major roads since just after midnight. Stephanie Johnson, the city's emergency communications director, said in a Facebook post that business closures and the suspension of activities kept the number of accidents to a minimum, although there had been a few minor accidents.

Fairbanks International Airport was also briefly closed due to those conditions early Sunday morning, according to Angie Spear, a spokeswoman for the airport. It later reopened, but not before some flights were diverted.

"Two overnight flights from Seattle were diverted to ANC airport," Spear wrote in an email.

A winter storm warning remained in effect in the area through noon Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, which warned of ice accumulations up to a fifth of an inch. Temperatures were expected to dip below freezing for much of the area Sunday night, although more freezing rain could be possible east of the city Monday, the NWS said.

Meanwhile, in Southcentral Alaska, similarly warm temperatures combined with steady rainfall in Anchorage on Saturday, left driving conditions less than ideal. The DOT warned of winter driving conditions throughout Anchorage and north to the Matanuska Valley, where the Iron Dog snowmachine race start took place across a slushy Big Lake.

A new record was also set in Anchorage Sunday afternoon, when the weather station at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport recorded a temperature of 47 degrees.

The DOT also advised that the Parks Highway in the vicinity of Talkeetna had "difficult" driving conditions and black ice Sunday morning, as temperatures hovered around 36 degrees. Rain showers were expected to continue, and temperatures in the area were expected to reach the 40s on Monday, according to the NWS forecast.

It was even raining in the far-flung Western Alaska community of Nome, which was experiencing temperatures above freezing and rain falling Sunday, according to the DOT.

Ben Anderson

Ben Anderson is a former writer and editor for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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