Between 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected to fall in the Anchorage Bowl early Thursday, which could cause reduced visibility during the morning commute, the weather service said.
“There’s a 0% chance that it’ll get above freezing in the next five days,” a weather service meteorologist said.
The reading of minus 80 Fahrenheit was recorded by a weather observer at Prospect Creek Camp just north of the Arctic Circle.
Alyeska, Hilltop and Arctic Valley slopes closed Monday due to heavy wind and a mixture of rain and snow.
Rain and high winds are expected to hit the Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Arm, according to the National Weather Service
The storm was expected to diminish as it heads east.
The strongest wind gust recorded at Shemya Island by early Thursday morning was 83 mph, with waves also battering the western Aleutians.
The weather service reported a peak gust of 133 mph on Sunburst mountain on the western Kenai Peninsula.
From Portage to Seward, blizzard conditions are forecast and travel on that stretch of the Seward Highway could be “nearly impossible.”
Alaska State Troopers released this video showing and aerial view of a landslide in Haines on December 3, 2020. (Alaska State Troopers video)
Chugach Electric is considering bringing in a generator for the winter that could power Hope in case of an outage, but details are still being worked out.
Nearly 12 inches of rain fell on the town of Pelican in 48 hours, and all-time records were set in Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Petersburg and Ketchikan.
Six people are reportedly missing in Haines after a record-breaking rainstorm triggered destructive avalanches, landslides and flooding across Southeast Alaska. Haines saw the worst of the damage. On Wednesday afternoon, a landslide traveled through the Beach Road neighborhood, which includes homes, the city’s cruise ship dock and Portage Cove State Recreation Site. (Video by Kayla Shutes)
Temperatures in Anchorage are expected to push 40 degrees Tuesday and will likely remain above freezing until Thursday, meteorologists said.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind alert for the Anchorage area Wednesday, warning that the storm could cause power outages. Storms are expected through the weekend.
Temperatures Thursday morning hovered around freezing in the Anchorage Bowl, causing a mix of rain and snow to fall. Anchorage could see up to 4 inches of snow throughout the day.
Sea ice is forming later than it has historically, leaving some communities vulnerable.
Anchorage was expected to see between 3 to 7 inches of snow by Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
25-30 mph gusts expected overnight for Anchorage Bowl during early season wind storm
