Schools, buses, local government and many businesses are closed in Fairbanks Monday as a winter storm with four to 10 inches of snow and freezing rain is expected to continue to Tuesday morning.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools are closed to keep school buses and cars off the road. Parents were notified Sunday night by email, when freezing rain and ice-glazed roads were predicted for the Fairbanks and North Pole areas, as well as Two Rivers, Eielson Air Force Base and Salcha, Goldstream Valley and Nenana.
District officials said in a notice that canceling school due to bad weather is difficult, but they consulted with multiple sources to make an informed decision. School is expected to resume as scheduled Tuesday, depending on the weather, and the district will contact parents with any changes.
The University of Alaska also notified students, faculty and staff Sunday night that in-person classes would be cancelled Monday. It told employees to use their own judgment about whether it is safe for them to travel to work, and if they cannot safely make it to work they should work remotely or take leave.
Buses with the local MACS transit system are also not running Monday.
Most borough buildings and services are closed for the day. That includes Noel Wien Library, where there was to be a candidate forum for Alaska Senate and House seats. The forum will now be online, and will be aired on KUAC-FM.
Areas of the Interior like Delta Junction, Healy and Anderson may have similar conditions Monday. The state Department of Transportation is updating road conditions at Alaska 511.