Seward Highway commuters should beware of potentially icy road conditions Wednesday morning, with the National Weather Service issuing a freezing rain advisory for the Girdwood area.
According to the advisory, issued at about 7 a.m., less than one-tenth of an inch of rain is expected to fall during the advisory, which expires at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Wednesday's forecast for western Prince William Sound calls for a blend of snow, including "periods of light freezing rain," until 11 a.m. Winds from 20 to 30 mph and up to 2 inches of snow are expected for the area, with snowfall mainly expected to accumulate in inland areas.
Rebecca Duell, a forecaster at the weather service's Anchorage office, said initial information focused the advisory on Girdwood itself.
"We've only gotten a couple of reports, but it's freezing rain in Girdwood," Duell said. "We do have some reports of ice accumulation, so it's ice accumulating on the cars, on the roads."
Duell said the slick conditions, combined with reports of wind gusts along the Seward Highway near Beluga Point, might make for a difficult drive into Anchorage.
"(It's) a little tough of a commute this morning if you're coming in from the south," Duell said.
Anchorage police dispatchers had received reports of only one vehicle in distress Wednesday morning, on the Glenn Highway north of town, since midnight Wednesday.
A weather system similar to Wednesday's could bring more freezing rain to the Turnagain Arm area later this week, Duell said.