Trucking News · Alaska · October 26, 2026

Alaska's Dalton Highway Truckers Face a Two-Wave Snowstorm Through Monday Night

A semi truck driving a snow-covered gravel highway through Alaska's mountains under gray winter skies — Illustration for this story. Not a photo of a specific location.

Truckers running Alaska's Dalton Highway are in the middle of a two-wave snowstorm. The National Weather Service in Fairbanks has a winter storm warning for the south slopes of the Central Brooks Range until 10 p.m. Alaska time Monday, Oct. 26, according to the Weather Service alert text.

The warning was reissued Sunday morning. An earlier version was first issued Oct. 23, according to CDLWire.

How much snow

Forecasters called for 8 to 16 inches of total snow, with gusts up to 35 mph, and said "travel could be very difficult."

The snow is coming in two waves. A break with lighter snow was expected Sunday afternoon through Sunday night. Heavier snow was forecast to return Monday morning and run into the evening, with another 4 to 8 inches.

Wind over Atigun Pass

A separate winter weather advisory covers the Central Brooks Range and Atigun Pass through 10 p.m. Monday. It calls for 3 to 6 inches of snow, south winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 55 mph.

Blowing snow could cut visibility below a half mile, and at times below a quarter mile, according to the advisory. "Travel will be impacted especially for high-profile vehicles," it says. Loaded and empty tractor-trailers are high-profile vehicles.

The summits, into Tuesday

The Dalton Highway Summits are under their own winter weather advisory from 10 p.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Alaska time Tuesday, Oct. 27. Forecasters expect 3 to 7 inches of snow there, with gusts to 40 mph.

Before heading north

Weather alerts change often, and these will expire or be updated during the week. Anyone headed north of Fairbanks should check the latest Weather Service forecast and road conditions before rolling.

A slow trip can stretch a long day. The hours of service break calculator can help plan stops, and Big Rig Daily's truck chain laws by state guide covers where chains come into play.