Above-freezing, rainy weather expected for Anchorage and Mat-Su over next week

Above-freezing, rainy weather is expected throughout Southcentral Alaska through next week.

A wintry mix hit the area Saturday morning, dropping a thin layer of snow in some parts of Anchorage and the Susitna Valley — a “last hurrah” of winter weather for at least the next week or so, meteorologist Brandon Lawson with the National Weather Service in Anchorage said Saturday.

“There’s really just no colder air mass for any kind of winter precipitation to develop,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the Anchorage Bowl starting Saturday night and through the next few days, with highs in the mid- to upper 40s from Sunday through at least Thursday, Lawson said.

Rain was likely in Anchorage on Saturday evening followed by cloudy skies, intermittent rain showers and above-freezing temperatures throughout the rest of the week.

Mid-October generally marks the beginning of Alaska’s winter weather season, and Lawson said temperatures in the upper 40s are slightly above average for this time of year.

The forecast was similar for the Mat-Su, with higher temperatures in the 40s likely through most of the week there too.

In the meantime, forecasters are keeping their eye on what Lawson described as a potentially hurricane-force low that could be moving into the Gulf of Alaska early next week.

“The good news for us at least in the Anchorage area is that that’s going to be mainly impactful for just the offshore area,” he said. “We remain not only on the dry side of that but far enough away that significant winds will likely not be impacting us as well.”