Much of southcentral Alaska woke up to freezing rain Thursday, causing slippery roads, slippery sidewalks and closed schools in Anchorage and parts of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

The Anchorage school district initially announced a two-hour delay Thursday morning and then moved to a remote learning day “due to deteriorating road conditions,” a statement said. Only Girdwood K-8 had in-person classes Thursday, but no bus service. Extracurricular activities and community rentals have also been canceled.

The Mat-Su Borough School District also announced a remote learning day for several of its schools: Su-Valley Jr./Sr. High school and elementary schools in Trapper Creek, Talkeetna and Willow.

The slippery roads led to accidents throughout the area.

Alaska State Troopers said an Anchorage woman died and two drivers were injured in an early morning collision on Knik-Goose Bay Road. According to an online report, just before 5:30 a.m., officers responded to mile 15.5 of the road near Gleason Lane, where a Chevrolet pickup truck lost control and collided head-on with a Toyota SUV.

Delynn Brouillet, 64, a passenger in the Chevrolet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers were taken to local hospitals with injuries.

Troopers said the weather, with freezing rain falling at the time, was “a significant factor in this collision.” They also said none of the Chevrolet’s occupants were wearing seatbelts.

In Anchorage, police spokeswoman Shelly Wozniak said dispatchers received reports of 19 vehicles in distress and 10 accidents, two of them involving injuries, between midnight and about 2 p.m. Thursday. Wozniak said roads in east and south Anchorage, as well as side streets, were particularly slippery.

A National Weather Service winter weather advisory is in effect until noon Friday for Anchorage, the Matanuska Valley and areas west of Wasilla. There will be freezing rain and a light layer of ice on the roadways.

“Despite the break in precipitation this afternoon (Thursday), another round of freezing rain and drizzle is expected to move through the Anchorage and Matanuska Valley areas after midnight this evening into Friday morning,” it said. “Rainfall coverage and rainfall amounts are expected to be lower than before. Any additional precipitation will likely freeze on untreated surfaces and any residual water on the ground will refreeze once the sun sets and surface temperatures drop below freezing.”

Parts of the Kenai Peninsula were also under a special weather condition due to freezing rain on Thursday, including the Sterling Highway between Soldotna and Cooper Landing and the Seward Highway between Tern Lake and Turnagain Pass.

Meteorologist Michael Kutz said Thursday morning that the rain fell as snow but melted as it passed through bands of warm air moving over southcentral Alaska.

“Everything here on the ground is now turning to ice because we have been below freezing for some time,” said Kutz. “It’s (a) widespread type of illness across Southcentral – we’re going to see a little bit worse before it gets better.”

Overall, Anchorage can expect about a tenth of an inch of freezing rain Thursday.

“That’s more than enough to get people trench diving,” Kutz said.

On Thursday afternoon, meteorologist Dan Nelson warned that the roads wouldn’t get better soon. Temperatures were expected to fall to near or below freezing overnight, which could cause roads in the area to remain slick with or without further rain.

“Any standing water on these roads is at risk of freezing over,” Nelson said.