Blustery wind, heavy rain in Anchorage expected to taper by day’s end

A September front whipping up wind and blowing sheets of rain across Anchorage on Wednesday morning was expected to dissipate by evening.

But freezing temperatures are on the way.

The forecast called for winds at 20 to 25 mph across the Anchorage Bowl and 30 to 40 mph on the Hillside and Turnagain Arm, according to Michael Kutz, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

“It’s going to be a slow decrease through the remainder of the day today,” Kutz said Wednesday morning.

The official measuring station at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport received more than a half-inch of rain Tuesday and overnight into the morning, he said.

For now, temperatures remain a little above average -- about 6 degrees overall -- but the region is closing in on normal September readings.

The forecast for the week calls for showers later, returning to rain through the weekend, Kutz said.

“Saturday night could be close to freezing on the east side of town,” he said.