Southcentral Alaska snowfall will taper off through the day Monday

Update, 11:30 a.m. Monday: Five to 5.5 inches of fresh snow was recorded in West Anchorage on Monday morning from the overnight storm, said meteorologist Adam Przepiora.

East Anchorage got about 8 inches, although more measurements were expected to come in through the day.

Sunday marked the second snowiest March 1 on record and the weather service said snow depth in Anchorage reached 2 feet for the first time this winter. The seasonal total reached 71.1 inches Sunday.

The snowfall is expected to taper off in Anchorage in early afternoon.

Snow totals in the Valley were higher than in Anchorage. Przepiora said areas in the Matanuska Valley received about a foot of snow, while areas near Talkeetna in the Susitna Valley received 1 to 2 feet of fresh snow.

Original story:

The Anchorage Bowl could see another 3 to 5 inches of snow by Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service. About 1 to 4 inches fell throughout the city Saturday night and into Sunday.

The weather service warned that roads may be slick and the dry and fluffy snow could drift amid vehicle traffic and obscure visibility.

Meteorologist Ben Bartos said 3 to 4 inches of new snow was on the ground Sunday morning in West Anchorage, although there was only 1 to 2 inches in East Anchorage and the lower hillside.

Snow fell lightly Sunday morning but paused before another round moved in during the early afternoon. The low-pressure system is moving in from Southwest Alaska through the Cook Inlet.

The storm was expected to hit the Susitna Valley the hardest, with the possibility of 8 to 15 inches, according to a winter weather advisory. Bartos said the area saw 10 inches of snow Saturday into Sunday morning.

The Matanuska Valley is expected to see snowfall totals similar to the Anchorage Bowl’s. In Palmer, 1 to 3 inches had fallen by Sunday morning and the second wave of the storm was expected to drop another 3 to 5 inches of snow.

Whittier saw 18 inches of snow by Sunday morning, Bartos said.

Avalanche danger was considerable Sunday near Turnagain Pass, according to the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center.

Colder air is expected to move into Southcentral Alaska after the snow, and gusty winds are expected through gaps and passes. Blowing snow could cause blizzard conditions in Whittier later in the week.

In Anchorage, it’s expected to be clear and cold, with high temperatures in the single digits and teens throughout the week.