Winter Weather — Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek, Alaska

2023-01-29 to 2023-01-30 · Anchorage Muni To Bird Creek, Alaska

Event narrative

The Anchorage Police Department responded to a multi-vehicle crash on the inbound side of the Glenn Highway near Arctic Valley at around 4:30 PM AKST 1/29. Officers reported very icy conditions on the Glenn Highway at the time. A Seward Highway Facebook Group commenter mentioned very slick roadways along the same stretch of highway with multiple cars either rolled over or in ditches at around 7 PM AKST the same evening. Freezing rain was also reported multiple times by Anchorage area mesonet sensors during the course of the afternoon.

Wider weather episode

An area of weak lift aloft and temperatures near freezing below the snow growth layer of the the atmosphere was able to facilitate a period of light freezing rain and drizzle across parts of the Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska Valley and Anchorage area during the afternoon of 1/29. While ice accumulation was very light, it did not take much to cause significant travel disruptions, with multiple ditched cars and accidents reported along the Glenn Highway between Palmer and Anchorage on the afternoon of 1/29.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1099959. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.