Your sassy, sensible guide to staying upright, on time, and out of the ditch.

By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025

Good mornin’, sugar. If you woke up in the Mat-Su shiverin’ like a chihuahua in a snowbank, that’s because it’s sittin’ right around 15 degrees in Wasilla this morning, prime “looks dry but drives like an ice rink” weather.

Memaw’s been pokin’ through Alaska 511, AK DOT’s Road Weather cameras, and the usual suspects (APD, PPD, AST, and various borough pages), and here’s the skinny:
No major closures, but don’t let that fool you. Overnight cold plus shaded stretches means a whole bunch of “surprise ice,” and I’d hate to see you become today’s cautionary tale on the scanner.

Now let’s break it down by highway so you can match your 511 photos:

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🚧 GLENN HIGHWAY

(Anchorage ↔ Eagle River ↔ Mat-Su)
Risk Level: Medium

Overnight temps put the Glenn right into “don’t trust anything shiny” territory. The bridge at Eagle River is lookin’ calm, but that pavement close-up shows what Memaw calls the quiet kind of slick. The kind that smiles at you before it snatches your tires sideways.

What to Expect:

• Frost risk on all bridges and overpasses.
• Patches of black ice in shaded areas between Hiland and the river.
• Light traffic early, but you know the Glenn. One slidey Subaru and it’s gospel choir time.

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🚦 PARKS HIGHWAY

(Wasilla ↔ Palmer ↔ Willow)
Risk Level: Medium

The Parks is doin’ that sneaky thing where the middle looks dry but the edges are shimmering like your Aunt Dottie’s Sunday lipstick. Shoulder ice and frosty pockets in curves are the main mischief-makers here.

What to Expect:

• Solid freeze on the shoulders.
• Hidden slick spots in dips north of Wasilla.
• Usual morning “everybody-leaves-at-once” congestion from Church Rd through the Palmer interchange.

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🏔️ SEWARD HIGHWAY

(Anchorage ↔ Girdwood ↔ Turnagain Pass)
Risk Level: Medium–High

Turnagain woke up feelin’ dramatic again. Snow lingering on the shoulders, low light in the pass, and potential fog creeping in like it’s got secrets. The Seward never met a temperature inversion it didn’t like, and today’s no different.

What to Expect:

• Reduced visibility in the pass.
• Patchy ice on the centerline and shaded walls.
• Watch for semis doin’ the “slow climb sad shuffle.”

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🌲 STERLING HIGHWAY & KENAI SPUR

(Cooper Landing ↔ Sterling ↔ Soldotna ↔ Kenai)
Risk Level: Medium

The Sterling’s got that quiet early-winter attitude. No shouting, but a whole lotta side-eye. Shaded curves and river-adjacent stretches are showing enough cold to freeze spit.

What to Expect:

• Spotty slick patches in Cooper Landing & Sterling curves.
• Icy sheen near Russian River boardwalk area.
• Frost layering lightly on Kenai Spur turnouts.

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🚨 TRAFFIC & ALERTS SUMMARY

According to Alaska 511’s Alerts page, there are no active closures or major warnings as of this morning. But … conditions are ripe for little fender-benders and oopsie-daisy slides, especially on bridges and early turns.

And remember:
No alert doesn’t mean safe. It just means nobody’s wrecked. Yet.

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🧤 Memaw’s Parting Advice for Today

• Leave five minutes earlier. If you’re late, just blame Memaw. 🤷‍♀️
• Brake like there’s a cake in your backseat you don’t wanna ruin.
• Don’t tailgate unless you wanna meet your neighbor real personal-like.
• If the road is shiny, slow your hiney.

Now go forth, drive gentle, and make good choices.
Memaw loves you, but she will talk about you if she sees your car in a ditch. 💖

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