A winter storm brought heavy snow and freezing rain to Fairbanks on Monday.

An early winter storm closed many local businesses and organizations in Fairbanks on Monday. Residents have been urged to avoid all unnecessary journeys due to dangerous road conditions. Golden Valley Electric Association responded to multiple power outages.

The winter storm is not over yet

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning around 4 a.m. Monday for the Fairbanks area, Eielson AFB, Salcha, Goldstream Valley, Nenana Hills, Two Rivers and Nenana.

NWS meteorologist Bobby Bianco said a cold snap began Friday with temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Saturday was the coldest day of the week with a low of 13 degrees and a high of 17 degrees. Some areas such as the Goldstream Valley experienced temperatures near zero on Saturday.

“That’s almost half of what we would normally expect,” Bianco said.

The average temperature for this time of year is 32 degrees and the minimum temperature is 15 degrees.

A weak cold front moving inland from the West Coast brought about five centimeters of snow over the weekend. “There was just enough lift and moisture that it snowed all weekend,” Bianco said.

The storm currently affecting Fairbanks began Sunday evening.

The weather service expected 4 to 6 inches of snow Sunday night and received about 6 inches of snow Sunday.

About 8.7 inches of heavy snowfall fell at the NWS office at the University of Alaska Fairbanks between 1 a.m. Sunday and Monday morning, according to online reports. Bianco said residents reported getting 10 to 15 cm of snow, with up to 17 cm in the hills. One person in Ester said they had 10 inches of snow at 8 a.m

Bianco said: “We saw everything from heavy snow overnight to heavy rain during the day. We also saw a brief period of freezing rain around 7am, with some sleet mixed in as well. Today it went from heavy snow to freezing rain to a rain-snow mix.

October is one of the driest months inland, with an average monthly snowfall of 8.2 inches and 0.76 inches of water. Bianco said Fairbanks has already received 1.31 inches of liquid precipitation on Monday and 9.6 inches of snow so far this month.

A low pressure area in eastern Siberia with a very strong front brought heavy rainfall in the first warm front. A cold front moving in Monday evening will bring the area back to colder temperatures.

“The next few days are going to be very, very interesting,” Bianco said. “I would be lying if I said I knew exactly what was going to happen.”

Rain is expected to transition back to heavy snow Monday evening as temperatures drop back into the low 30s and 20s, bringing another 10 to 15 cm of snow.

Fairbanks will see a break in precipitation starting around 5 or 6 a.m. Tuesday will see snow showers and squalls or quick bursts of heavy snow and strong winds, each lasting about half an hour.

There will also be strong winds on Tuesday, causing blowing and blowing snow. “It’s going to be very windy,” Bianco said. Winds could reach speeds of up to 40 mph in Fairbanks and possibly over 50 mph on the highway peaks. Bianco said there will be “close to a blizzard” in the mountains.

Bianco said there could be power outages inland as heavy snow and rain put pressure on trees and power lines.

Snow will return Tuesday afternoon, with 1 to 7 inches of residual snow showers possible in Fairbanks through Wednesday and Thursday.

Bianco said he expects another 4 to 8 inches of snow in the city and 12 to 18 inches of snow in the hills, White Mountains and peaks along the Steese Highway.

Residents react

Residents reported heavy snow, freezing rain and sleet across Fairbanks.

Mary White-Big Joe said online that it started raining in Nenana around 2 a.m

Paul Mayo said he noticed the slush on the roads was thick and heavy.

“When you look outside it looks like snow, but it sounds like rain. 0/5 stars,” said Jessica Morse.

Melanie Buswell said the snowflake shower was beautiful at 6 a.m. and the rain around 6 a.m. turned unplowed roads into wet slush with icy patches.

Jasmine Couch in Fairbanks and Heather Thomas in North Pole said their dogs loved the snow. Couch said she had to bribe one of her huskies to come into the house with treats.

“You know it’s bad when hockey practice gets canceled!” said Lisa Jean.

Robert Albert said five centimeters of snow had turned the streets in Koyukuk into an ice skating rink.

Winter driving is back

According to the Department of Transportation, travel on the Johansen Expressway, Parks Highway, Steese Highway, Airport Way, Richardson Highway and Elliott Highway will be very difficult due to black ice, 4 to 8 inches of blowing snow, icy roads and packed snow.

According to spokesman John Perreault, the DOT focuses on clearing Priority 1 roads as best as possible with plows and graders during a storm before moving further down the priority list.

Priority 1 roads in Fairbanks include the Johansen Expressway, approximately seven miles of Parks Highway, Richardson Highway and Steese Highway between Fairbanks and Fox. After a winter storm, it can take up to 12 hours to clear Priority 1 roads.

Due to hazardous road conditions, road conditions were “orange” for Eielson AFB and “black” for Fort Wainwright. “All travel is strongly discouraged and should only be considered in emergencies,” Fort Wainwright’s Facebook page said Monday morning.

For more information about driving conditions, visit 511.alaska.gov.