The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning on Monday for the eastern Interior. It says residents should prepare for heavy snow east of Fairbanks and in the Upper Tanana Valley. That includes the Delta Junction area and the Fortymile country, including Tok, Tanacross and Chicken and portions of the Richardson and Alaska highways and the Tok Cutoff.
Fairbanks National Weather Service lead forecaster Bobby Bianco said Monday that snow was already falling in Isabel Pass and elsewhere around the eastern Alaska Range.
“ The snow will be heavy at times, especially on Tuesday, and snow ends by Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday evening,” he said.
Bianco predicted up to 12 inches of snow around Delta, and to the south up to 30 inches in Isabel Pass. For lower-elevation areas -- like Fairbanks, Nenana and portions of the Parks, Steese and Elliott highways -- the weather service issued a winter weather advisory.
Bianco said a mix of rain and snow is likely in those areas this morning. And he said that’ll turn into snow this afternoon. “There is potential that we're looking at half inch to one inch per hour Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening,” he said, “right during that evening commute, and right as the school gets out as well.”
He estimated 3 to 6 inches of snowfall in the Fairbanks area by this evening. And at least 6 inches in outlying areas, like Salcha and Harding Lake. The heavy snow is attributed to a meteorological phenomenon known as an atmospheric river.
“ Right now, we do have a huge plume of moisture which is extending from just north of Hawaii all the way into the Gulf of Alaska. And we are starting to see that get into the Alaska Range.”
Bianco said the snowfall will peter out on Thursday. “ Thursday morning, temperatures will be dropping. We're probably gonna be seeing single digits, teens, across most of the Interior.”
The weather service is predicting temperatures will moderate by the weekend. But probably not enough to melt the first heavy snowfall of the season.
