Winter Weather Advisory Alaska | Effective 03/15/2026 01:50

...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL RETURNS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY... .Bands of snow showers continue to push into the NE Gulf as with widely varying conditions. Advisory level snowfall rates of around 1 inch per 3 hours are possible from Yakutat to Pelican, with lighter rates inland. If snow showers train over one location for an extended period of time, visibility could drop to 1 mile at times with greater accumulations. This wave of showers is separate from a stronger low pressure system that is expected to track northward across the panhandle starting Sunday morning and continuing through Monday. Steady snowfall will return with heaviest rates across the southern panhandle starting Sunday morning into the afternoon and for the northern and central Alaska Panhandle starting Sunday afternoon and continuing into Monday. Current forecast snowfall accumulations within the Winter Storm Warnings are between 6 to 14 inches, with locally higher amounts expected through Monday evening. For southern panhandle communities in Winter Weather Advisories, expecting snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches, highest totals within interior Prince of Wales Island. The main forecast challenge for the southern panhandle will be the timing and transition period to a rain and snow mix, or potentially all rain by Sunday afternoon with temperatures reaching into the upper 30s to low 40s along the coast as the front pushes northward, limiting potential snowfall accumulations. Snow showers will then continue behind this system with widely variable accumulations through the rest of the week. * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph. * WHERE...City and Borough of Sitka. * WHEN...From 1 PM this afternoon to 7 AM AKDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be difficult. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...For the Saturday night advisory, snow showers have largely moved out of the areas. For the Sunday advisory, heaviest snowfall rates expected during the afternoon before diminishing into the evening.