Winter weather is returning to Alaska’s high country before September has even begun, with several inches of snow, strong winds and deteriorating highway conditions forecast across the eastern Alaska Range through early Tuesday.
The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has placed portions of the eastern Alaska Range under a Winter Weather Advisory from midnight Monday through 4 a.m. Tuesday. The advisory covers areas north and south of Trims Camp, including Donnelly Dome, Black Rapids and stretches of the Richardson Highway between mileposts 202 and 259.
Snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches are forecast above 2,000 feet along the Richardson Highway near Isabel Pass, with greater totals possible above pass level. Northerly winds could gust as high as 40 mph, combining with falling snow to produce areas of blowing snow and sharply reduced visibility.
The winter conditions are developing as a low-pressure system moves southeast across northern Alaska, carrying colder air, widespread precipitation and gusty winds into the state’s central and eastern interior. Rain is expected to change rapidly to snow across higher elevations as temperatures fall and the snow level drops to approximately 2,000 to 2,500 feet.
The heaviest snowfall is expected Monday morning, although persistent cloud cover, precipitation and limited daytime warming could allow snow to continue through much of the afternoon at higher elevations. Much of the accumulation near highway elevations is expected to be wet and heavy rather than the lighter, drier snow commonly associated with colder winter storms.
The Richardson Highway corridor near Isabel Pass faces some of the most consequential conditions. Snow accumulation on the roadway, accompanied by gusty northerly winds, could create difficult travel and intermittent visibility problems through the mountain passes. Conditions become increasingly wintry with elevation, where temperatures are colder and snowfall totals could exceed those recorded closer to pass level.
The broader weather system is also bringing substantial precipitation across Alaska’s central and eastern interior. Rainfall totals generally ranging from one-tenth to one-half inch are forecast across lower elevations, while portions of the northern Alaska Range and areas near Delta Junction could receive between one-half inch and an inch of precipitation.
Snow is also possible across other elevated portions of Interior Alaska as freezing levels descend. Higher terrain in the western interior, Seward Peninsula and Brooks Range could receive lighter snowfall as colder air spreads across the region.
The advisory does not include the city of Fairbanks, where precipitation is expected to remain primarily rain. Fairbanks International Airport was reporting temperatures in the 40s early Monday, with daytime temperatures forecast near 50 degrees. The significant snow threat is concentrated in elevated terrain well south of the city and along the Alaska Range highway corridor.
Temperatures across much of Interior Alaska are expected to remain cool Monday, with afternoon readings generally in the 40s and 50s at lower elevations. Clearing Monday night could allow some interior valleys to approach freezing by Tuesday morning, while temperatures in the mountains remain cold enough to sustain additional snow showers.
Conditions are expected to gradually improve as the storm system moves away and higher pressure begins building across the interior during the middle of the week. Snow showers may linger across portions of the Alaska Range after the advisory expires, particularly at higher elevations.
The late-August storm marks an early transition to winter travel conditions across portions of Alaska’s mountainous interior while communities at lower elevations remain under a predominantly rainy weather pattern. Along the eastern Alaska Range, however, the final day of August is expected to bring accumulating snow, powerful wind gusts and the return of snow-covered mountain highways months before winter officially begins.