Anchorage schools shift to remote learning due to heavy snowfall and hazardous road conditions

Jan. 28—The Anchorage School District early Monday declared a remote learning day for all schools due to heavy snowfall and hazardous road conditions.

ASD said decisions about after-school activities and community rentals will be made by noon.

Storms were dumping snow across a broad swath of Southcentral Alaska on Sunday, making for challenging driving conditions on the Richardson and Seward highways. Anchorage and the Mat-Su were expected to receive several inches of additional snow as well.

The heaviest snowfall in Anchorage and areas to the south was expected to occur Sunday evening then wind down on Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Christopher Quesada. In coastal areas such as Valdez, it was expected to linger into Tuesday.

"We definitely are going to see some difficult driving conditions on Seward Highway and the Richardson Highway because they are gonna get ... one to three feet of snow," Quesada said. "Less for the Seward Highway and more for the Richardson Highway."

Valdez, Thompson Pass and the Copper River Basin were forecast to be hit hardest, with up to 4 feet of snow forecast at higher elevations over several days.

More snow in Anchorage, Mat-Su

Anchorage was expected to see between 7 inches and 13 inches, according to updated advisories Sunday afternoon from the weather service. Between 5 and 7 inches was forecast for the Matanuska Valley and between 5 and 10 inches was forecast for the Talkeetna area of the Susitna Valley.

"It'll come down at a decent rate," Quesada said, "maybe an inch every two hours or so."

Snow began in Anchorage Sunday afternoon and was expected to intensify early in the evening and overnight, according to the weather service. Another round of heavier snow might push through Monday morning.

The heaviest accumulation was expected along the Hillside, the weather servicxe said.

Temperatures were hovering around zero through the day in Anchorage on Sunday, but the cold snap will likely come back by Monday or Tuesday, with a return to subzero temperatures through the end of the week, Quesada said.

Hazardous conditions on Seward Highway

An advisory was also in effect for the Seward Highway from Girdwood to Portage, through Turnagain Pass and south to Seward, until noon on Monday.

The conditions were likely to deteriorate over the next few hours, Quesada said.

"While snow is expected to persist through Monday night, the heaviest snow and highest snow accumulation will be during the evening hours Sunday into Monday morning with more than a foot possible," the weather service stated in the Winter Weather Advisory. "Snow rates should exceed 1 inch per hour at times, resulting in periods of poor visibility."

Between 8 and 20 inches of snow was expected in the area, especially in Turnagain Pass.

Heavy snow expected in Copper River Basin

The Copper Rover Basin, including the Glennallen, started seeing snowfall on Saturday afternoon. As of Sunday afternoon, the area received six or seven inches of snow, Quesada said.

Driving conditions on Richardson Highway were dangerous as of midday Sunday, Quesada said.

"There's a lot of blowing snow, in Thompson Pass especially, right now already," Quesada said, "so it's definitely hazardous over there. "

The weather service advised drivers to carry emergency supplies such as food, water and an extra flashlight if they needed to travel in hazardous conditions.

The area along the Richardson Highway, south of Tonsina, was expected to see up to 30 inches of additional snow accumulation, according to a winter storm warning. Edgerton highway was expected to see 13 inches more.

Heavy snow in Valdez and blizzard conditions at Thompson Pass

In Northeast Prince William Sound, including Valdez and Thompson Pass, weather service forecasted additional snow accumulation of 18 to 36 inches, according to the winter storm warning.

Blowing snow and high winds up to 40 mph were likely to create blizzard conditions through Thompson Pass through 7 p.m. on Monday, Quesada said.