Strong storm brings high winds, heavy snow and rain to Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A potent storm will affect the state over the coming days, with the greatest impacts today being felt in the Aleutians. Heavy snow, high winds and rain will be the greatest concern, with winds across Southcentral set to gusts upwards of 90 mph. This storm will be felt across the vast majority of Alaska throughout the week, with winter storm watches in effect for the Slope.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

Enjoy what peeks of sunshine we see today, as clouds will quickly spread back across Southcentral. While we’ll largely stay dry, with fairly light winds for most of the day, activity is set to increase into the evening.

A high wind warning will go into effect for the Anchorage and Eagle River Hillside, with Portage also seeing a high wind warning. These locations can expect to see winds gusting up to 90 mph late tonight through Wednesday, with power outages and downed trees possible.

While the rest of Southcentral won’t see as windy conditions, we’ll still see persistent wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph. Some locally higher wind speeds will occur, with all areas seeing winds die down into Thursday.

In addition to the winds, heavy rain is set to spread across Southcentral late tonight through Thursday. The bulk of the rain will fixate on the gulf coast region, where two to four plus inches of rain looks possible. Inland areas will see far less rain, but still able to squeeze out nearly a quarter of an inch of rain. Higher amounts are possible across western parts of Southcentral. With the high winds and very heavy rain moving in, avalanche concerns will rise to high into Wednesday.

SOUTHEAST:

Isolated to scattered showers remain in the forecast today, with the vast majority of the rain/snow mix to fall across the northern and central panhandle. We’ll see several opportunities for dry time across Southeast through Wednesday, with heavy rain arriving by Thursday. This comes as a frontal system sweeps east across the Gulf of Alaska, leading to increasing rain and winds for Southeast. Many areas of Southeast will see the potential for several inches of rain, with the lightest activity falling through the southern inner channels. As of this morning, areas near Ketchikan look to see up to half an inch of rain, while areas farther north see up to four inches.

INTERIOR:

Areas of rain and snow remain in the Interior today, with a stretch of active weather keeping a rain/snow mix in the forecast throughout the week. We’ll see the potential for some light accumulation throughout today into tomorrow, with Fairbanks seeing some light snow into the evening hours. A high wind watch is in effect for the Alaska Range, where gusts up to 80 mph will be possible Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning. These winds will drive in warmer conditions through the Interior, with highs set to climb into the 40s and 50s this week. You’ll want to be careful on the roads, as a freeze/thaw pattern will keep slick spots around each day.

SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:

Coastal fog remains in the forecast, with some light winds expected today. However, winds will increase Thursday into Friday, as strong easterly winds pick up. A winter storm watch has been issued for the entirety of the Slope coastline, with winds expected to gusts up to 55 mph. This will lead to areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility. Speaking of snow, light showers build into the Brooks Range Thursday morning, increasing in intensity into the evening hours. Expect a couple of inches of accumulation through areas of the Brooks Range.

While the weather continues to remain fairly mild for Western Alaska, areas of Southwest Alaska are gearing up for a winter storm. A winter storm watch will go into effect for the Kuskokwim Delta Coast this evening, where two to six inches of snow accumulation will be possible. The greatest impacts from this storm will be felt from Wednesday morning into the evening hours. Most locations above 1500 feet will remain all snow, with areas at lower elevations inland seeing a gradual changeover to rain/snow mix. Coastal regions will largely stay all snow, with gusty conditions leading to reduced visibility. This system will also affect areas near the Seward Peninsula by Wednesday night, where western areas of the peninsula will stay all snow, while areas to the east will remain rainy.

ALEUTIANS:

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect for the Eastern Aleutians and the Alaska Peninsula. A rather robust storm moving out of the Northern Pacific Ocean will lead to heavy snow, gusty winds, reduced visibility, and a rain/snow mix for areas of the Alaska Peninsula. The heaviest snow will fall near Unalaska, where up to 15 plus inches of additional snow will be possible. This combined with gusts up to 65 mph will create whiteout conditions at times. Today into the evening hours will be the greatest impact for the Aleutians, with activity set to slowly wind down through the day on Wednesday. If you live east of Unalaska towards the Alaska Peninsula, snow totals will be significantly less. This comes as warmer air builds into the region, leading to more of a rain/snow mix than all snow. Rough seas can also be expected, with any alerts set to expire by Thursday.

AVALANCHE WEATHER:

Turnagain Pass: Considerable avalanche danger remains above 2500 feet, with an incoming storm set to bring winds, rain and snow. This storm will lead to a high avalanche danger across Southcentral by Wednesday.

Summit Lake: Moderate avalanche danger at all elevations, with the possibility that a person could trigger an avalanche in higher elevations and steep terrain.

Seward/Lost Lake: Considerable avalanche danger above 2500 feet. The hoar frost that has lingered for several weeks now is buried so deep, the Chugach Avalanche Center says it’s becoming unlikely a person could trigger an avalanche on this layer.

OUTLOOK AHEAD:

As our storm system winds down to close out the week, a ridge of high pressure looks to build out of the North Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska. This will lead to quieter weather to close out the week and allow for things to dry out. Further west in the Bering Sea, we’ll see a stalled out low keeping periods of rain and breezy conditions in the forecast. Temperature-wise across the state, highs will continue to warm as we close out April. There’s a decent shot this week that both Southcentral and the Interior could see locations warm into the 50s.

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