Anchorage and some Mat-Su schools shift to remote learning as first big snowfall of the season hits Southcentral Alaska

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Update Tuesday morning: The Anchorage School District has declared a remote learning day Tuesday for all schools except Girdwood PreK-8 due to hazardous weather and roads. The status of after-school activities and community rentals will be made by noon, the district said.

In Mat-Su, schools in regions 4, 5 and 6 are on remote learning Tuesday. Regions 1, 2, and 3 are on a two-hour delay, with morning PreK canceled.

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Earlier story:

The first significant snowfall of the season for Anchorage started as light precipitation Monday morning that coated roads with an icy layer before picking up in intensity overnight. Another 3 to 6 inches was expected by early afternoon Tuesday, the National Weather Service said Tuesday morning.

Slick roads and tricky driving conditions were reported throughout Anchorage and Mat-Su.

By 8 p.m. Monday, Anchorage police reported 64 crashes including 12 involving injuries and another 40 vehicles in distress. Drivers described treacherous sections of road around the city, including the curves where Minnesota turns into I Street, DeBarr Road near Alaska Regional Hospital, and E Street near Valley of the Moon Park.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District announced after-school activities canceled at most schools Monday in Wasilla and the Susitna Valley.

By Monday evening, a band of heavier snow was expected through early Tuesday morning with the heaviest amounts centered just west of Anchorage over Cook Inlet though it could “nudge” into far western Anchorage, according to the weather service.

A winter storm warning for Mat-Su was predicting up to 10 inches from Wasilla west to Houston and Big Lake and north to Willow, with lower amounts toward Butte and Palmer. On the western Kenai Peninsula, another 4 to 10 inches was possible before early Tuesday afternoon.

A blizzard warning was in effect starting 4 a.m. Tuesday for northeast Prince William Sound including Valdez and Thompson Pass.

Anchorage police say drivers who want to report a collision can go to anchoragepolice.com/report-a-crash which also connects to the Alaska Department of Transportation site for the appropriate forms are available.