Fairbanks

Record snowfall hits Fairbanks

The Fairbanks area was hit with more than half of a foot of snow on Friday, prompting snow advisories and breaking records.

The National Weather Service reported that Fairbanks International Airport got 6.7 inches of snow, breaking the previous daily record -- 0.8 inches in 1996.

"It's a little early for this," National Weather Service meteorologist Don Aycock said.

For much of the day, it was a wintery scene in Fairbanks.

"The airport reported the first flake at 6 a.m.," Aycock said.

By 2:30 p.m., 4-9 inches of snow had been measured across the Tanana Valley, not including elevations above 750 feet.

A winter weather advisory was scheduled to be in effect until Saturday morning, but in an updated public forecast statement Friday night, NWS canceled the advisory. In the early afternoon, the Fairbanks Police Department and Alaska State Troopers sent out warnings of slick roads and difficult driving conditions. But by 4 p.m., Fairbanks police said that the roads in town had "greatly improved" while rural roads remained in poor condition.

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Around 7:30 p.m., city spokeswoman Amber Courtney reported conditions on city streets were "slushy," but had improved with evening sunshine.

Saturday was expected to be a mix of snow and rain showers, NWS said.

Much of the snow may melt away on Monday, Aycock said. Temperatures up to 50 degrees are forecast that day, and temperatures are forecast to remain in the 40s all week, he said.

Still, "we won't lose it all, I'm sure," Aycock said.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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