Freezing rain advisory expands to Lower Matanuska and Southern Susitna valleys

The National Weather Service in Anchorage extended its freezing rain advisory late Wednesday to the Lower Matanuska Valley and Southern Susitna Valley, the area from south and west of Wasilla to Willow. The advisory ran until 5 am Thursday, ahead of the morning commute.

Light rain, possibly mixed with snow, was forecast to spread overnight. Temperatures were expected to hover near or a few degrees above freezing south and west of Wasilla and stay below freezing near Willow. The Lower Matanuska Valley and Southern Susitna Valley advisory said rain would taper off as temperatures cooled to freezing or below, and any water on roadways would freeze.

Hills, bridges and overpasses were the places most likely to see freezing rain, the advisory said. "A light glaze of freezing rain is possible tonight, which could make roads slick for the Thursday morning commute," the weather service's Anchorage office said in an X post announcing the expansion.

The Mat-Su advisory followed two issued Wednesday afternoon. One covered Anchorage and Eagle River starting at 9 pm Wednesday. The other covered the western Kenai Peninsula starting at 5 pm. Both ran until 5 am Thursday. Updated versions issued late Wednesday told people in those two areas to prepare for possible power outages. The Anchorage and Eagle River advisory said roads would stay slick until temperatures warmed later Thursday morning.

Earlier Wednesday, the weather service posted an advisory for the Interior Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Pass that ran until 1 pm. The Interior Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Pass advisory said shaded roads could stay icy after temperatures climbed above freezing.

The icing came in the same week as an earlier round: freezing rain on Tuesday morning brought 22 crash reports to Anchorage police and a jackknifed semi on the Glenn Highway.

On Thursday morning, the weather service issued winter weather advisories for Kodiak Island from 6 pm Thursday to 6 pm Friday. Snow totals of 2 to 10 inches are forecast for the northeast part of the island. Up to 7 inches is forecast in the southwest.

The weather service directs drivers to call 511 or visit 511.alaska.gov for current road conditions.