As promised, winds picked up overnight. Gusts have been near 65 mph in Palmer, near 75 mph through channeled terrain in Prince William Sound and near 50 mph in west Anchorage. Winds will remain strong through Wednesday night before diminishing during the day Thursday.
Blizzard conditions and winds up to 100 mph will batter areas of Prince William later Wednesday. Warnings have been posted for Cordova and Valdez. Winds will gradually die out over southwest Alaska, however, Kodiak and the Cook Inlet region will remain blustery into the night.
With cold air temperatures in place, wind chills will pose a threat to life over the next 24 hours. A Wind Chill Advisory continues for areas along the Susitna Valley north of Talkeetna for wind chills as cold as 40 below. Wind chills will range from 0 to -30 in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley.
The strongest winds will be over west Anchorage.
Snow and rain have been slamming southeast Alaska. Snow up to 18 inches will fall locally over the northern panhandle before the mainland dome of high pressure builds in and dry north winds bring an end to the precipitation. Snow and rain are falling on feet of snow that has already fallen in Juneau making a real mess of things.
These type of wind chills can be hard for the body to deal with. Cover exposed skin and dress in warm layers.
Calmer conditions and more cloud cover will return by late in the week.
