5th Avenue / Glenn Hwy & Airport Heights, Anchorage, Alaska/Alaska 511
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025
Your no-nonsense, warm-hearted Alaska weather + traffic guide for the morning rush and the ride back home.
🌅 Good Morning, Alaska! Let’s Hit the Road (Slowly Now) …
Mornin’, hon! It’s a chilly start in the Valley today with temps hovering around 11–15°F and clouds drifting in like they own the place. Perfect weather for coffee … not so perfect for speeding to work. Roads across the Mat-Su are starting off slick in spots, especially on those icy troublemakers: bridges, shaded corners, and the roads nobody in your subdivision seems to drive until noon.
The skies are mostly clear right now, but cloud cover builds right into the morning commute. No heavy snow or drama. Just cold, clouds, and the kind of pavement that looks dry until your tires tell you otherwise.
🕖 Monday Morning Commute Forecast (6 AM – 10 AM)
Temps: 13°F → 20°F
Skies: Intermittent clouds → cloudy
Road Reality: Frosty, patchy ice, and slow-to-thaw streets.
What to expect:
- 6–7 AM: Mostly clear but very cold. If your windshield isn’t frosted, count it as a blessing. Roads are slickest now, go easy on the gas.
- 7–8 AM: Clouds rolling in; roads still icy. No visibility issues, but traction? Questionable. Bridges and ramps are the morning villains.
- 8–9 AM: Temps climb to the mid-teens. Good for the soul, not enough to thaw the road fully. Expect that “looks fine but isn’t” black ice.
- 9–10 AM: Clouds settle in, temps near 20°F. Main highways improving, but shaded neighborhood roads hang onto the ice like it’s sentimental.
Memaw’s Advice:
“Treat every shiny patch like it’s plotting something. Because it is.”
🌤️ Midday Mood (11 AM – 3 PM)
Temps climb into the low- to mid-20s, cloud cover sticks around, and this becomes your sweet spot for errands and travel. The main corridors … Parks, Glenn, Palmer-Wasilla, and the Wasilla Fishhook … should be in good shape.
Still, side roads may cling to their ice like a winter badge of honor. Take them gently.
🌘 Drive-Home Forecast (4 PM – 7 PM)
Temps: Dropping from low-20s into the teens
Skies: Cloudy → mostly clear
Road Reality: Refreeze city.
As the sun dips, so does your tire traction. Everything that softened at midday starts firming back up and not in a good way.
What to expect:
- 4–5 PM: Still cloudy; temps easing downward. The first signs of refreeze on shaded corners and those end-of-the-workday ramps that test your patience.
- 5–6 PM: Temps hit the low-20s. Expect slowing traffic as drivers spot ice patches they swear weren’t there this morning.
- 6–7 PM: Skies clear, but the pavement sure doesn’t, conditions worsen with falling temps, bringing black ice right back into the chat.
Memaw’s Evening Tip:
“If the road looks wet after sunset, it’s lying to you. That’s frozen mischief in disguise.”
🚗 Road Condition Snapshot
- Statewide closures: None major at this time.
- Mat-Su hazards: Patchy ice, especially early and late.
- Visibility: Good throughout the day — clouds but no fog this time.
- Real-time checks: 511 Alaska cameras are your best friend before leaving.
🧤 Memaw’s Monday Must-Dos
- Warm up the car but don’t roast it.
- Keep headlights on during the morning clouds.
- Leave extra stopping distance (today is not the day to tailgate Karen in the Subaru).
- Keep gloves in the glovebox, it’s literally named for this.
- Stick to main roads when possible; they thaw first and freeze last.
⭐ Final Thoughts from Memaw
Well, darlin’, it’s one of those classic Alaska Mondays: cold enough to be cranky, cloudy enough to be moody, and icy enough to keep you humble. But with a little patience and a slow pedal, you’ll get where you’re goin’, preferably with coffee in hand and both bumpers still attached.
Drive safe, stay warm, and remember:
Winter doesn’t run you. You just have to negotiate with it a little.
