Most Mat-Su schools shift to remote learning as sleet and freezing rain hit Southcentral Alaska

Update 5:30 a.m. Monday:

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District declared Monday a remote learning day for all schools except Glacier View, Su Valley Jr/Sr High, Talkeetna Elementary, Trapper Creek Elementary and Willow Elementary due to ice covered roads. The district said an update on after-school activities will be made at noon.

Sunday story:

Freezing rain and snow were forecast in Anchorage, Eagle River, Indian and Eklutna from Sunday evening through Monday morning.

The Anchorage Bowl was expected to see total snow accumulations of up to an inch, according to the National Weather Service.

An ice glaze was also expected across Anchorage. Some parts of town could see ice accumulation to about three-hundredths of an inch, “just enough to kind of coat vehicles and make the roadways a little slick,” Weather Service Meteorologist Tim Markle said.

“We are looking for light accumulation,” Markle said. But “it doesn’t take a lot of frozen precipitation to potentially cause hazardous driving conditions,” he added.

By 5 p.m. Sunday, forecasters reported freezing rain in the Muldoon area and in Northeast Anchorage, Markle said. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and the West side of town were reporting some snow that changed into sleet and freezing rain, he said. Residents also saw some snow when going towards Glenn Alps.

“There are some places that are reporting some freezing rain, some snow. There are other places that are not reporting anything yet,” he said. “The precipitation type is probably going to go back and forth, just depending on the temperature and just the intensity of the precipitation.”

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reported black ice, snow and slush making multiple roads — including Glenn Highway — wet and icy.

Anchorage police reported around 4:30 p.m. a multi-vehicle crash on the inbound lanes of the Glenn Highway near Arctic Valley, which led to the closures of the two lanes at Ship Creek.

The weather system was expected to move further up north, bringing by Monday mixed precipitation to the Matanuska Valley, especially around Willow, Big Lake and Wasilla, according to the forecast.

Temperatures were expected to stay below freezing overnight, with ice potentially remaining through the Monday morning commute, the forecasters said.