Heavy snow in Interior brings hazardous driving conditions

Blustery weather and an influx of fresh snow in recent days has created hazardous driving conditions in Interior Alaska and caused intermittent closures of highways north of Fairbanks.

The Steese Highway was closed Friday afternoon between Miles 86 and 101, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Up to another 6 inches is expected to fall in Fairbanks, as well as regions north and west, for a total of about a foot during the current storm, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds of 35 mph blew snow around the Interior, and gusts of up to 50 mph were expected, forecasters said.

Various DOT travel advisories for the Elliot and Dalton highways warned of blowing snow and other impacts to driving after more than 18 inches of snow earlier in the week and another dump overnight and into this morning, said Meadow Bailey, spokeswoman for the department's regional office in Fairbanks.

The Dalton Highway from the Interior to the North Slope oil fields was open at last report, but travelers were strongly advised not to drive north of Mile 209.

"Part of that is avalanche danger in Atigun Pass," Bailey said.

Earlier closures of the Dalton were the first in many years, she said. It was open at last report.

Also called the Haul Road, the highway feeds supplies that support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and North Slope oil production.

Bailey, reached by phone just after she arrived home, said the gusts blowing the snow around were the worst part.

"The wind's just blowing our door open, hold on just a second," Bailey said. "The wind has just been incredible."

Travel advisories for slick roads and blowing snow were also in effect for the Parks Highway from Petersville to Fairbanks.

Nearly every weather zone that the Weather Service's Fairbanks office monitors -- the half of Alaska north of Denali National Park and Preserve and west to Saint Lawrence Island -- had winter storm warnings or wind chill advisories for Friday and Saturday.

"We've gotten a lot of calls from people from plow companies, who want to know, 'Is it safe to start plowing?' " said Fairbanks forecaster Steven Kearney. "We had kind of a lull in the action this morning so we had to tell them, 'Well, better hold off, because we still have more on the way.' "

The snowfall of Sunday and Monday in Fairbanks was the sixth-most over two days in more than 100 years for Alaska's second-largest city. This month's 25.1 inches compares to the monthly average of 6.6 inches, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

So far, Fairbanksans have dealt with record snowfall, an early-winter ice storm -- the effects of which can still be seen on local roads in the Golden Heart City -- and the usual frigid temperatures of a sub-Arctic winter.

Phones in the forecast office don't ring as often when it's cold, Kearney said.

"It's quieter, obviously it's cold, but we don't have to issue as many warnings," Kearney said. "People are used to the cold."