Highlights

October started off with an early winter storm dropping snowfall in the Interior areas, with up to 4.5Ó on the Nenana Ridge on the 3rd and 4th. Blizzard warnings were issued for the southeastern Brooks Range and eastern Beaufort Sea Coast on the 6th. Road conditions were bad enough in the Fairbanks area on the 6th that travel advisories were issued. Blizzard conditions were reposted for the Dalton Highway on the 9th with winds up to 35 mph and snowdrifts across the northern portion of the highway. The problems persisted in the area into the next day and caused a truck to crash and catch fire on the Dalton Highway. High winds also affected the Steese Highway at Eagle Summit. The poor conditions resulted in travel warnings for central and eastern Interior for the weekend of the 11th.

Seasonal road maintenance for the Taylor and Denali Highways ended on the 15th. Anchorage had its first measureable snowfall on the 19th, with 0.6Ó recorded at the National Weather Service Office. Totals up to 7Ó were noted in Hillside areas by the midday on the 20th. Fairbanks issued its first air quality alert of the winter on the 29th.