Winter Weather Advisory issued for interior Alaska, Fairbanks records early-season snow
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Fairbanks area and interior Alaska, with up to 23 cm (9 inches) of snow accumulation forecast for some parts between Thursday and Friday night, October 2 and 3, 2025. This comes just a few days after the region tied its record for earliest freeze of the season, and began seeing snow 2 weeks ahead of average.
Snowfall in Alaska on September 29, 2025. Credit: NWS Fairbanks
The advisory will remain in effect from 14:00 local time (LT) on Thursday to 22:00 LT on Friday. Areas under advisory include White Mountains, high terrain south of the Yukon River and the Chatanika River Valley, and parts of Steese and Elliot highways.
Snowfall totals of 11 to 23 (4 to 9 inches) are expected across the advisory area between Thursday afternoon and Friday night.
Around 8 to 16 cm (3 to 6 inches) of snow is forecast for the Isabel Pass south of Trims Camp and 11 to 23 cm (4 to 9 inches) on the Steese Highway Summits. 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) is forecast over the Dalton Highway Summits and an inch or less for most other spots.
The region recently tied the record for the earliest first freeze of the season on September 28, when temperatures dropped to 0°C (32°F). This tied with last year’s record for the earliest first freeze of the season.
Snowfall also came around 2 weeks early this year, with around 2.5 to 5 cm (1–2 inches) of snow recorded on the morning of September 29. The Fairbanks area typically experiences its first snowfall of the season by October 9.
The heavy snow will create hazardous travel conditions in and around the advisory area due to icy roads. Mixed Precipitation is forecast for low elevation areas, which will increase the risk of black ice on roads as temperatures fall below freezing levels.
References:
1 Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion – NWS – October 1, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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