Freezing rain and hazardous travel hits Southcentral Alaska

TRAVEL Amine 26 Dec , 2022 0

Anchorage, Alaska (KTUU) – A layer of warm air snorts toward south-central Alaska with low rotation past the Gulf of Alaska. The combination of the two produces a freezing drizzle and a winter mixture over much of the Mid-South.

Much of the interior of the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and parts of Matso experience intermittent frosty drizzle beginning around midnight. Dangerous and icy travel conditions will persist into the evening as partly cloudy skies are expected during the day.

!! ️ Update!! ️
❄️ The Anchorage Winter Wx Advisory has been extended to 11pm tonight.
❄️ A Winter Wx Advisory has been issued for the Kenai Peninsula due to freezing rain from 1pm today until 6am Tuesday morning.

For more information, please visit https://t.co/Yepna49IQs.#AKwx https://t.co/eVdiKohHO8

— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) December 26, 2022

Looking at the surrounding atmosphere, there is a shallow layer of air just above the Earth’s surface. It extends to about 2,500 feet and is the main focus of why we see freezing rain. The column of air is fairly saturated up to about 11,000 feet, meaning snow is passing through the layers of the atmosphere. The snow is melting as it hits a shallow layer of warm air and temperatures are rising into the mid to high 30s. It is this melted snow that is refreezing on contact at Southcentral.

You can only expect an ice glaze throughout the day, but it’s the ice coating that creates smooth and dangerous road conditions. The roads will prove to be difficult and trickier throughout the day, so it’s a good idea to budget extra time for forecasting. It’s also wise to turn on the windshield defroster to prevent ice build-up on the windshield. Freezing drizzle and rain will subside in many places by 9 a.m. Monday. Dry hours will follow in the afternoon and another frosty drizzle/mixed rain is possible in the evening.

Low pressure is expected to continue in the south this week. This will keep the weather active in the Gulf Coast region, but warming will have the greatest impact inland. Over the next few days, temperatures will rise to the mid-to-upper 20s, with overnight lows in the low teens. As we wrap up December and enter next year, the warm weather continues.

December may end as one of the coldest in years, but the year as a whole is one of the hottest on record. This warmth will likely carry over into his January, with signs of continued wet, warm, and brisk conditions.

Have a safe and wonderful Monday!