Snow forecast for Atigun Pass on the Dalton Highway through Thursday

Snow is expected at Atigun Pass on the Dalton Highway this evening, the National Weather Service in Fairbanks said in a special weather statement covering the Central Brooks Range. Rain turns to snow "in the Eastern Brooks Range" tonight, the statement says, continuing through Wednesday. Forecasters expect 1 to 3 inches at Atigun Pass, 3 to 6 inches on mountain peaks and an inch or less at Anaktuvuk Pass. "Given the rain beforehand, snow will struggle to accumulate immediately but there will be minor accumulations by Wednesday morning," the statement said. A brief break Wednesday afternoon may let snow melt before it returns that evening, diminishing to showers Thursday morning. Issued at 6:45 a.m., the statement expires at 4 p.m.

The Bureau of Land Management's Dalton Highway visitor guide notes snow typically begins in the Brooks Range by late August or early September. The more than 400-mile highway is the primary supply route to Deadhorse and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and carries hunters into fall seasons. Alaska DOT&PF posts road conditions at 511.alaska.gov.