Alaska Weather 3/7 Evening - Wind Chill Whiplash

Good evening. Alaska. I'm Michael Nally. That biting wind this morning? it's just a preview. A deep Aleutian low is tightening its grip, effectively splitting Alaska into three completely different worlds today. One region is digging out, another is facing record cold. And a third is getting hammered by hurricane-force gusts. Down in Southeast, a storm force front is pounding the Panhandle right now. Juneau and Sitka are seeing winds gust to 55 miles an hour, with waves up to 30 feet crashing along the outer coast. Here comes 3 to 5 inches of heavy, wet snow by tonight, with another 2 to 4 arriving tomorrow. Temperatures crash from 41 degrees this afternoon down to 26 tonight, but wind chills will make it feel like 9. High Wind Warnings are in effect—this isn't the day to be on the water. Over in Southcentral. Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley are stuck in the snow machine. Light snow showers continue through tonight, adding less than half an inch. The bigger story is the cold. Highs today struggle to hit 22 degrees—that's 20 degrees below normal for early March. Winds shift from west to southwest tonight, gusting to 25 miles an hour, so expect blowing snow and reduced visibility on the roads. Up in the Interior. Fairbanks, get ready for a deep freeze. Tonight's low sits at minus 12. By Monday night? Minus 28. And Tuesday night plummets to minus 34. That's 30 to 40 degrees below zero—some of the coldest air we've seen all season. Exposed skin can freeze in minutes at these temperatures. If you're heading out, cover up. The Arctic Coast is under Blizzard Warnings from Kaktovik to Point Thomson. Starting Sunday, winds gust to 60 miles an hour, creating whiteout conditions through Tuesday. Travel is strongly discouraged. Looking ahead, the storm exits Southeast by Monday, but snow showers linger through midweek. Southcentral and the Interior stay dry but brutally cold, with highs barely climbing above zero. And here's the kicker—the spring equinox is just 13 days away. Doesn't feel like it today, does it? Charge your phones and keep that survival kit in your car. See you tomorrow.