Avalanche Closed Alaska Highway, Cutting off Access

A large avalanche and blizzard conditions in southern Alaska cut off road access to much of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage.

The avalanche hit the Seward Highway near the intersection of the Sterling Highway around 8 a.m. Sunday.

The closure 40 miles south of Anchorage cut off communities served by the two roads including Seward, a town of about 2,600 on the Gulf of Alaska.

Avalanche warnings were in effect for the southeastern Kenai Peninsula amid a combination of snow and wind gusting to 30 mph.