The National Weather Service (NWS) is the federal agency that forecasts weather and issues warnings across Alaska. It covers marine conditions, river flooding, avalanches, fire weather and aviation hazards, with offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
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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.
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About National Weather Service
weather.gov ↗222 W 7th Ave #23, Anchorage, AK 99513, USA
The National Weather Service (NWS) is the federal agency that forecasts weather and issues advisories, watches and warnings across Alaska. Part of NOAA, it has offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau and runs the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.
Its products include winter storm warnings, high wind warnings, wind advisories, flood watches, high surf advisories and dense fog advisories, along with marine, river, aviation and fire weather forecasts. It also keeps the climate records that place rainfall and river levels in context.
Its warnings guide travel decisions on highways such as the Parks and the Klondike and help coastal communities from the Yukon Delta to the Arctic coast prepare for storms off the Bering Sea. It works alongside other federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration.
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