Rain is expected to turn into snow overnight Sunday and into Monday, leaving 4 to 8 inches of snow throughout Anchorage and Mat-Su, a meteorologist said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Wegman said the amount of snow is dependent upon when the rain begins to switch over to snow.
“The later that change over is, the less snow there will be,” he said. Wegman said the snowfall is expected to continue through much of Monday, but will likely be the heaviest in the morning.
Rain began Sunday afternoon throughout Anchorage, although Wegman said there was not a significant accumulation by about 5 p.m.
The weather service warned that the snow may impact driving conditions, especially because the heavy snowfall is expected to coincide with morning traffic. The weather service issued a winter weather advisory from 9 p.m. Sunday until noon Monday.
A wintry mix of precip for today, becoming snowfall for Anchorage and the surrounding areas tonight through Monday morning rush hour. Slow down, leave plenty of space between vehicles and do not brake quickly or make sharp turns. #WinterDriving #AKwx pic.twitter.com/h4x6N9fNiW
— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) October 25, 2020
Communities in West Anchorage will likely see the lighter amount of snowfall, with amounts closer to 4 inches, while Wegman said East Anchorage and Hillside are expected to get closer to 8 inches of snow. Snow had already began to fall in Glen Alps by 5 p.m. Sunday.
Wegman described the snow as heavy, wet and “very snowman friendly.” As long as the snowfall matches the predictions, Wegman said, it’s likely to stick around through at least Halloween.
A plume of Pacific moisture moved into the area from the south Sunday to bring the snow, Wegman said. By Wednesday, he said a cold air mass was expected to move through the region. High temperatures will likely be in the 20s or 30s mid week and lows could dip near zero degrees, Wegman said.
Snowfall totals and conditions in Mat-Su and up toward Talkeetna are expected to be similar to Anchorage on Sunday and Monday, Wegman said.
It’s likely to rain throughout the night on the Kenai Peninsula, and Wegman said temperatures along the coast are expected to be too warm to switch over to snow.
[Because of a high volume of comments requiring moderation, we are temporarily disabling comments on many of our articles so editors can focus on the coronavirus crisis and other coverage. We invite you to write a letter to the editor or reach out directly if you’d like to communicate with us about a particular article. Thanks.]