ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The week started with snowfall and rainfall for some areas. Monday may the warmest day for many areas. Trend will be for decreasing temperatures across Alaska going through the week.

Snow fell in the interior Monday. Going into Monday evening, another inch of snow is likely in Fairbanks, Delta Junction and Tok.

Juneau and surrounding areas are under a Winter Weather Advisory for 8-14 inches of snow. Snow will affect Yakutat and many other areas too. Farther south, a higher chance of rain.

Forecast shows colder air is moving south. Snow will taper off in mainland areas Tuesday, with the focus going to a colder airmass that will drop temperatures to well below zero in the interior and northern regions.

Sunny to the west, with temperatures sliding down. Windy over the Aleutian Chain and Pribilof Islands.

Southcentral sees sunshine and clouds. Anchorage and many communities in the region will see colder temperatures.

Hot spots for Alaska Monday were Adak and Unalaska with 45 degrees and the cold spot was Atqasuk with a temperature of 10 degrees below zero!

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska Native Heritage Center staff gathered on the Cook Inlet mudflats on Monday to honor a whale that washed ashore over a week ago.

“We came here today to offer some prayers and ceremony to the whale that washed up,” Ben Baldwin, with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, said.

Baldwin was one of several staff who took part in the blessing ceremony for the nearly 50-foot fin whale.

“The reason that we’re here as Native people is to be respectful of all living things,” Marilyn Balluta, with the center, said. “This [the whale] is your non-human relative.”

During the ceremony, Baldwin performed both a prayer and a song for the whale. According to Baldwin, this was the first time he had done a blessing like this in front of a large crowd of people. Traditionally, he said he tends to do blessings like this when he is out hunting.

“I offered a prayer in smoke inside an abalone shell and that [shell] had plants from here, from the Cook Inlet basin,” Baldwin said. “It’s the medicine of the land that we’re offering to our non-human relatives from the land as well.”

According to Baldwin, whales are significant in the Alaska Native culture. Both for sustainability purposes and their spirituality.

“They’re very spiritually strong and they carry a lot of meaning,” Baldwin said. “And we felt that it was really important to offer a prayer as a community, offer it a final drink and make sure that we are interacting with our non-human relatives in a really good way.”

Monday’s blessing was also a somber moment for some people who gathered around the whale. Emily Edenshaw, the CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, shared how she struggled with seeing images surface that showed chunks of meat missing as well as its fin chopped off.

“I know for myself it was really hard to see the photos and to see the post, but understanding that this is an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned but also show our respect,” Edenshaw said.

It’s a similar feeling for Baldwin, who asks that people pay their respects when visiting the whale.

“It’s more than just flesh and bones, it’s spirit, it’s a relative and it should be respected,” he said.

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