Icy roads again close Anchorage and Mat-Su schools after overnight windstorm hits Southcentral Alaska

A snow blower crosses an intersection in front of a giant puddle in the roadway
A snow blower clears a sidewalk in Anchorage’s South Addition neighborhood last week. (Lex Treinen/Alaska Public Media)

Anchorage and Mat-Su schools closed again on Tuesday due to road conditions.

The Anchorage School District said early Tuesday that there was “extreme ice on roads and parking lots” after overnight rain.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District closed all schools except Glacier View School in Chickaloon. Students should switch to remote learning Tuesday, said the district.

The National Weather Service said overnight winds, snow and rain in parts of Southcentral led to slick road conditions and power outages. Peak wind gusts reached 84 mph on the Upper Hillside, with wind gusts up to 68 mph on parts of the Glenn Highway.

“Regarding the winds, numerous reports were received of treacherous conditions on area highways due to rain/snow and strong winds blowing cars off the roads, or at least causing drivers to lose control at higher speeds,” said the weather service in an online report posted around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Between 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday morning, the Anchorage Police Department got called to 10 car crashes, two with injuries. It also got reports of 32 vehicles in distress, some that had slid off the road.

The Chugach Electric Association reported several power outages throughout the night, with about 300 customers still without power by noon Tuesday. The Matanuska Electric Association still had about 65 households without power.

On the Kenai Peninsula, several schools have a two-hour delay Tuesday due to weather and road conditions.

The Weather Service is forecasting possible rain in the Anchorage area on Tuesday with high temperatures around 40 degrees and winds decresing throughout the day.

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