Alaska's end of summer - Beware the termination dust

August usually holds heatwaves, severe thunderstorms, and tropical activity for the CONUS, but in Alaska, the termination dust, or first mountain snow, signals the end of the summer season.

Summer is terminated once the snow starts to fall in Alaska. That is what the termination dust tells us as the light snow accumulates on the mountaintops; just a dusting will do, hence termination 'dust.'

The term is unique to Alaskans, and miners used to use this signal each year to begin preparing for winter, especially around Anchorage. Many argue how much snow has to fall to be counted as termination dust but when it starts to show up on the southern end of the state, like near Anchorage, you can get a good idea of how near winter is.

You can keep an eye out for this termination dust on the WeatherRadar.