Climatological spring ends today, with Anchorage landing inside the top 20 coldest

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The cold start to summer in Southcentral Alaska is bringing weather records not seen in quite some time.

For the first time in several decades, Anchorage only managed to top out at 61° for the maximum high this season.

Even though we’ve struggled to climb into the 60s this year — with only three recorded days so far — this year is by no means the coldest spring. At the close of today, Anchorage will end this spring just inside the top 20 coldest. Some may find it interesting that even though it has been a cool spring, 2021 was colder by nearly half a degree.

Even with climatological summer starting Thursday, the trend towards warmer weather will be pushed back by a few days. The active, cloudy, and wet pattern we’ve been under looks to linger into the first part of the weekend. Parts of Southcentral are also seeing snow, where a winter weather advisory remains in effect until noon today. It’s likely that parts of the Copper River Basin could see an additional 2 to 3 inches of snow, with the highest occurring from Glennallen and north near the Tok cutoff. While the snow amounts won’t be the biggest issue, reduced visibility and slick spots could prove difficult. Expect any snow to become an issue after about milepost 116 on the Glenn Highway.

Southcentral isn’t the only one experiencing cool weather, as much of the state is seeing showery and cloudy weather. Even Southeast Alaska is struggling to warm into the 50s, as clouds and rain look to keep the Panhandle in the upper 40s for most of the day.

We’ll hold onto rain chances through the end of the week for Southcentral, with slow warming likely into the weekend near 60.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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