Warmer air brings weekend clouds and mixed precipitation

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After nearly a week of sunshine and dry conditions, the weather pattern will change to a more active one as we enter the last weekend before Thanksgiving.

The large ridge of high pressure at both the surface and in the upper levels of the atmosphere that largely dominated the state is beginning to move out of Alaska and into central Canada. This is allowing for a broad low pressure trough, with several weak areas of low pressure centers, to make a move into both Southcentral and Southeast just in time for the weekend.

The beginning of this change has seen an increase in high level clouds during the afternoon hours. Those clouds will continue to thicken and lower overnight and during the day on Saturday as more moisture continues to arrive from the Pacific Ocean. Rain and higher elevation snow will overspread the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound from coastal locations, then farther inland as the day progresses. A similar scenario will also play out in Southeast, with all locations seeing precipitation by late afternoon and early evening.

Anchorage and the Mat-Su valleys will see some morning sunshine fading behind an increase in clouds with temperatures close to 30 degrees by late afternoon. Initially, the Chugach Mountains will block much of the moisture, but a few light snow showers or flurries might still fall Saturday evening.

Sunday will be the wetter of the two weekend days as precipitation increases but stays rather scattered. Temperatures by Sunday afternoon for both Anchorage and the Mat-Su may rise into the middle 30s for highs, warm enough to allow for snow to mix with or even briefly change to all rain, especially from late morning on.

That slushy mix will continue into Monday as well with colder air making a return Monday night. That will allow for the remaining moisture on Tuesday to fall as snow although no significant accumulations are expected. Snow showers may still be widely scattered on Wednesday before an even larger push of cold air arrives just in time for turkey on Thursday with highs back down into the middle 20s, and possibly upper teens on Friday.

Time to go shopping for a new winter coat that day, perhaps? Enjoy your weekend!

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