ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Winter weather is slowly but surely making its way into the state. Light snowfall is expected from the slopes inland today. While Southcentral has yet to see snowfall this season, that is likely to change later this week. It's a sure sign that it's only a matter of time before the state becomes a winter wonderland.

SOUTH CENTRAL:

There will be a chance of fog and a few scattered showers across Southcentral this morning. The Hatcher Pass and higher elevation areas may experience severe thunderstorms early in your Tuesday. While most locations will trend drier today, areas of the Susitna Valley and north of Talkeetna may experience light rain/snow into the evening hours today.

Things get interesting towards the middle of the week as a series of disturbances to the west will result in a negatively sloping trough over Southcentral. When valleys are negatively sloped, sloping from northwest to southeast, it is a sign of unsettled weather and a good sign that a storm system is developing or strengthening. The Gulf low will funnel moisture into and over the Chugach Mountains. This is where things get very interesting. The current expectation is that as the valley moves north and begins to interact with the low, some light snow will fall on the slope and at higher elevations. The question then becomes how intense the humidity will be and whether the snow depth will drop below 500 feet. In areas of persistent rain/snow, this will help cool the atmosphere and reduce the amount of snow even further, possibly to near sea level. It will definitely be worth seeing as it brings with it our first real snow potential of the year.

For now, be prepared for possible winter weather Wednesday night into Thursday. Daily highs will remain in the 40s this week.

SOUTHEAST:

The Southeast will experience isolated, periodic showers, with a quarter to an inch of rainfall expected today. Some of the heaviest rainfall will fall through the central panhandle. The overall weather pattern continues to favor wetter and cloudier conditions across the Southeast. Many areas could see 1 to 3 inches of rain by the end of the week. We will see daytime highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s, with overnight stays near 40. Juneau typically experiences its first frost in late September, with no freezing lows for 7 days.

INNER:

Parts of the interior will experience light snow this morning. Most snow falls north and west of Fairbanks. Any snowfall accumulation will be small and little to no impact is expected. Now is the time to start winter driving because it's only a matter of time before the state turns all white.

While it looks like there will still be snow through Wednesday, the rest of the week appears to be fairly quiet on the surface. We will continue to see higher elevations and areas of the Alaska Range see a decent accumulation of snowfall in the coming days. Things are starting to cool down as afternoon highs fall to over 30°C inland.

SLOPE/WEST ALASKA:

Light snow is expected today, with highs in the 30s. There will also be some fog in some areas of the slope along the coast. Even if the weather on the slope remains quite calm overall, snow showers cannot be ruled out.

In the west it will continue to be cooler in the region. Near Gambell/St. some areas with a wintry mix are possible. Lawrence and parts of Norton Sound. One thing we will be watching is a strong low that will strengthen in the Bering Sea this week. This low and impending weather pattern is conducive to widespread strong winds and heavy rain. We want to monitor this low as it begins to deepen in the Bering Sea as early as Wednesday night.

Aleutian Islands:

It looks like it will stay quite windy today, with showers forecast. Although the wind will not be particularly strong, gusts of up to 20 miles per hour cannot be ruled out. The low that will form in the Bering Sea will continue to produce strong winds, rough seas and heavy rains in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands beyond Wednesday.

OUTLOOK:

We are at the time of year when snow and fall storms are more common. The storm, which is spreading in the Bering Sea, is likely to hit western and southwest Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and south-central Alaska later this week. While the overall trend continues toward cooler conditions for some, slightly above average temperatures are possible in the eastern half of the state.

Stay healthy and have a nice Tuesday!

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