Full Notification

...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL RETURNS ... .Bands of snow showers are currently pushing into the NE Gulf as of Saturday afternoon with widely varying conditions. Advisory level snowfall rates of around 1 inch per 3 hours is expected from Yakutat to Sitka, with lighter rates inland. If snow showers train over one location for an extended period of time, visibility could drop to a half mile at times with greater accumulations. This wave of showers is separate from a stronger low pressure system that is expected to track northward across the panhandle starting Sunday morning and continuing through Monday. Steady snowfall will return with heaviest rates across the northern and central Alaska Panhandle starting Sunday morning and continuing into Monday. Current forecast snowfall accumulations within the Winter Storm Warnings are between 6 to 14 inches, with locally higher amounts expected through Monday evening. For southern panhandle communities in Winter Weather Advisories, expecting snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches, highest totals within interior Prince of Wales Island. The main forecast challenge for the southern panhandle will be the timing and transition period to a rain and snow mix, or potentially all rain by Sunday afternoon with temperatures reaching into the upper 30s to low 40s along the coast as the front pushes northward, limiting potential snowfall accumulations. Snow showers will then continue behind this system with widely variable accumulations through the rest of the week.

* WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches.

* WHERE...City and Borough of Yakutat.

* WHEN...Until 2 PM AKDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Scattered snow showers will continue through Saturday afternoon. Greatest snowfall rates expected late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

* AFFECTED AREAS: CITY AND BOROUGH OF YAKUTAT

Instructions:

Slow down and use caution while traveling. People are urged to prepare their property before the onset of winter weather. For the latest road conditions, where available, call 5 1 1 or visit 511.alaska.gov. Mariners should prepare their vessels for heavy snow.