Wintry mix looks likely for ceremonial start of Iditarod 2022

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - For several days now, mainland Alaska has been storm-free and that looks to continue through Thursday. While some daily scattered activity has been evident across the state, any precipitation has been very light in nature. The only exception is the Aleutians, where areas of low pressure continue to deliver a wintry mix and breezy conditions.

Thanks to weak upper level disturbances, the aforementioned scattered activity looks to once again impact Southcentral Alaska. While most of the precipitation will stay confined to coastal regions of Southcentral, a passing snow shower inland can’t be ruled out. However, the weak nature of the upper level forcing will likely keep inland areas on the drier side.

This all changes through the rest of the week, as an area of low pressure pulls in plenty of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. While the track of the low will take it into Southwest Alaska and along the western coast, we’ll see a plume of moisture build into Southcentral to close out the week. This comes just in time for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, with some light to moderate snow expected to transition to a wintry mix through the day. Along with the wintry mix, a push of warmer air is coming as well. Highs to close out the week will be pushing the lower 40s, with overnight lows near freezing.

Looking ahead at the longterm forecast, there is a pattern shift that could bring cooler temperatures back to parts of the state through the middle to end of the month.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and be safe on the roads.

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