The National Weather Service in Anchorage has a winter storm warning in effect for Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley from 1 p.m. Today, Oct. 29, until 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, Alaska time (5 p.m. Today to 6 p.m. Friday ET). Forecasters expect 7 to 15 inches of snow along the Parks Highway corridor through Broad Pass, with visibility dropping to a quarter mile or less at times.
The storm is aimed at the main road connecting Anchorage and Fairbanks. It is also landing at the end of a month that has kept snow crews in that stretch working overtime.
How much snow will the Alaska winter storm warning bring?
Light snow fell Thursday morning, with 2 to 4 inches expected before the warning took effect, according to the NWS update issued at 6:02 a.m. Thursday. Snowfall intensifies through the afternoon, and the heaviest bands hit Thursday night into Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, temperatures are expected to climb above freezing, and the snow could mix with or change to rain before the warning expires.
Farther south, a separate winter weather advisory covered the Susitna Valley from around Willow north to the Talkeetna Spur Road until 1 p.m. Thursday. That alert called for up to 2 inches of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice, with NWS warning it would affect the Thursday morning commute.
Why is Broad Pass getting hit so often?
This is the pattern most coverage misses. Broad Pass has been under NWS snow alerts again and again this month. An advisory Oct. 10 called for 4 to 12 inches across the pass. Another on Oct. 19 brought 2 to 4 inches north of Talkeetna. A third, on Oct. 24 and 25, called for up to 12 inches over the Northern Susitna Valley…