Winter Weather Advisory Alaska | Effective 03/15/2026 05:59

...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL RETURNS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY... .Bands of snow showers continue to push into the NE Gulf as with widely varying conditions. While snow showers have becoming scattered and largely moved away from Sitka to Elfin Cove, snowfall rates have increased greatly over Yakutat. Thus that area has been upgraded to a warning. 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 later 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. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 to 60 mph. * WHERE...Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Annette Island. * WHEN...Until 7 PM AKDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Travel could be difficult. Strong winds could cause blowing snow with reduced visibility and tree damage. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snowfall rates will increase through Sunday morning. As the front pushes northward, temperatures across the southern panhandle will warm with an expected changeover to a rain/snow mix or all rain by Sunday evening. Main forecast challenge will be the timing of this change over and the resulting snowfall accumulations. Greatest accumulations at elevation.