Storm expected to bring snow, winds and poor visibility from Girdwood to Seward on Monday

Feb. 25—More snow, strong winds and reduced visibility were expected in parts of Southcentral Alaska beginning Monday.

A storm was expected to bring more precipitation and wind gusts for eastern Turnagain Arm and western Prince William Sound, according to a National Weather Service winter storm watch in effect from Monday morning through late that night.

“Plan on difficult travel conditions,” the weather service said. “Visibility may be reduced to as low as one-quarter mile.”

Across the region, from Girdwood through Portage and Whittier south to Seward, total snow accumulations were expected to be between 6 and 16 inches, and even higher in the mountains. Winds could gust up to 50 mph through Portage Valley and 35 mph in Turnagain Pass, blowing snow and hampering visibility, according to the winter storm watch.

“We’re not going to have a wind event like what we had a few days ago, but we’ll definitely get some gusty winds out of this,” National Weather Service meteorologist Pamela Szatanek said.

Seward could see a period of blowing snow Monday night into Tuesday morning, the weather service said.

The Anchorage area wasn’t expected to be as affected by the incoming storm or receive much, if any, new snow as of Sunday morning, Szatanek said. A few inches of snow had fallen on the city earlier in the weekend, with 5.5 inches recorded at the weather service’s office in West Anchorage, according to Szatanek.

However, the forecast showed another cold snap for the Anchorage area early this week, with temperatures in the single digits and teens across Southcentral.

“That warm weather that we had, that’s going away,” Szatanek said. “It’ll be a return to the really bone-chilling temperatures.”