A big avalanche has closed the highway on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage

SEWARD, Alaska — A major avalanche and snowstorm in southern Alaska blocked access to much of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage on Sunday.

The avalanche struck Seward Highway near the intersection of Sterling Highway around 8 a.m. Sunday. Highway officials expected the road to remain closed for at least 12 hours.

The closure, 40 miles south of Anchorage, cut off communities served by the two roads, including Seward, a city 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 gusts up to 30 miles per hour.