Winter Storm — Lower Matanuska Valley, Alaska

2026-01-05 to 2026-01-07 · Lower Matanuska Valley, Alaska

Event narrative

The locations that saw the most snowfall in the Matanuska Valley were west of Wasilla and north in the higher elevations. The orientation of the flow favored the western parts of the Matanuska Valley. The higher elevations north of Wasilla saw around a foot of snow. There were reports between 15 and 18 inches of snow for areas west of Wasilla including Big Lake and Meadow Lakes. Wasilla itself saw reports of 7 to 12 inches. Palmer saw much less snowfall than areas to the west with a couple of reports of 3 to 5 inches. Snowfall in Wasilla (PAWS) started after 11:00 PM and lasted through the early morning hours of January 7. Palmer saw much less snowfall with the bulk of it happening from January 5 to January 6.

Wider weather episode

A strong surface low associated with an upper level trough in the Gulf of Alaska increased snowfall over Southcentral Alaska on January 5th as flow shifted southwesterly. The trough was negatively tilted, which further aided in providing lift for additional snowfall. In addition, the low created a very tight pressure gradient over Kachemak Bay and the southern Kenai Peninsula January 6, 2026. In addition to the pressure gradient, heavy snow developed over Kachemak Bay producing heavy snow and blowing snow over the region. Strong Westerly winds also produced high surf along the Homer Spit.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1312854. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.