Ice risk on the Dalton Highway and Arctic Coast until noon

Drivers on the Beaufort Sea Coast and the Arctic Plains could face slippery roads through noon Wednesday under a special weather statement from the National Weather Service Fairbanks, a notice for ongoing or imminent hazards.

The statement took effect at 11:10 p.m. Tuesday and runs until noon Wednesday. It covers the Central and Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast and the Western and Central Arctic Plains, including Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik, Umiat and the Dalton Highway from Milepost 322 north.

The weather has arrived. Deadhorse reported light rain at 33 degrees Wednesday morning, visibility three quarters of a mile. Kaktovik reported mist at 32.

"Pockets of freezing rain and freezing drizzle could lead to light ice accumulations and, as a result, slippery travel and surface conditions," the statement said.

A warm front lifting north over colder surface air is the cause. The mix of freezing rain and snow was forecast to turn to mostly snow during daytime hours.

The agency urges travelers to slow down and check 511.alaska.gov or call 511 for road conditions.

NWS Fairbanks issued similar statements for this coast on July 14 and 15, warning of light freezing rain near Kaktovik and Point Thomson with minimal ice accumulation.