Winter Weather — Northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska

2025-01-05 to 2025-01-07 · Northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska

Event narrative

A Department of Transportation employee reported rain with some snow mixed in a the top of Thompson Pass. Another employee of the Department of Transportation reported icy roads along the Richardson Highway. He also reported vehicles in ditches along the highway. A Spotter from Valdez reported freezing rain in Thompson Pass on the morning of January 6th.

Wider weather episode

A series of weather systems impacted Southcentral from January 6th to January 7th. Southerly flow from a surface low brought warmer air into the region, increasing temperatures, particularly aloft, which made conditions favorable for mixed precipitation including freezing rain. A trough with its associated front pushed into the Southcentral coast the morning of the 6th, bringing heavy precipitation and even more warm air to Southcentral. Locations including Valdez, Thompson Pass, Anchorage, the Matanuska Valley and West Kenai Peninsula saw mixed precipitation including freezing rain that led to difficult driving conditions and accidents. This was followed by a strong low that pushed into the Gulf in the afternoon hours of the 6th, which brought hurricane force winds to Southcentral. The Anchorage Hillside, Portage, and East Turnagain Arm areas received very strong winds that gusted in excess of 75 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234071. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.