Winter Weather — Susitna Valley, Alaska

2023-01-22 to 2023-01-24 · Susitna Valley, Alaska

Event narrative

At 6 AM 1/24, Alaska Department of Transportation reported 14 inches of new snowfall along the Parks Highway between Mile Post 121 and 163 with difficult driving conditions. The heaviest snowfall amounts were all focused on the northern end of the Susitna Valley, with areas farther south mixing with rain as warmer air intruded northwards.

Wider weather episode

A push of deep warm, southerly flow aloft combined with synoptic frontal lift over-top air starting out below freezing at ground level combined together to produce a mess of mixed precipitation types across much of Southcentral Alaska between 1/22 and 1/25. Warm air with southerly winds gradually was able to work north and change wet snow over to rain as it filtered into interior valleys, with some mix with freezing rain observed briefly during the transition phase in a couple locations. While precipitation amounts were generally light, aside from over a foot of snowfall observed in parts of the Susitna Valley, the sudden thaw and rain on top of snow and cold ground resulted in significant disruptions to travel and daily life for many residents across the region.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1099831. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.