Heavy Snow, Susitna Valley
- When
- February 12, 12:00 PM AST to February 13, 9:00 PM AST
- Where
- Susitna Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
A very strong and cold high developed over the Arctic Ocean just north of Alaska earlier in the week. Temperatures just north of the Alaska Range fell all day on the 12th, through the teens into single digits. The arctic front set up along the Alaska Range, with the Range acting as the boundary under the depth of the cold air rose enough to allow the front to move south. Cold air behind the front slipped through Windy Pass and into the Cantwell area, dropping temperatures into the single digits also. Meanwhile, a flow of moist maritime air moved into the area from the Gulf of Alaska ahead of a weak low centered far south of the State. Overrunning of the cold air produced heavy snow near the Alaska Range, helped by orographic lift and upslope flow aloft.Heaviest snowfall set up in a band from the Peters Hills northeast to Chulitna and included the Igloo on the Parks Highway. In Talkeetna, just to the south, snow turned to rain just after 6 am on the 13th as temperatures rose into the middle 30s. Water equivalents of the snowfall on the 12th and 13th were 0.83 at Eureka, 0.29 inches at Cantwell and 0.13 inches at Skwentna. Talkeetna received 0.99 inches of rain and melted snow on the same two days.Snowfalls:North side of Peters Hills, Kenny Creek Lodge - "Over 2 feet".Igloo Lodge at milepost 187 on the Parks Highway - "About 2 to 3 feet of wet, heavy snow".DOT camp at milepost 121 - 6 inches at the shop. Amounts increased beginning at milepost 158 on the Parks Highway. At the "Turnaround Point" milepost 161 there was 1.5 feet of snow.On the other side of the Alaska Range (zone 151-Kuskokwim Valley), McGrath recorded 9.6 inches of snow from the same weather system.Within McKinley National Park, isolated reports from the Communications Dispatch Center were that only a "dusting fell at Park headquarters".Although no damage reports were received, the Igloo Lodge co-op observer relayed that the Igloo structure itself was in danger of collapsing due to the heavy weight of about 4 feet of wet snow. The observer also reported that cars were stuck on the Parks Highway during the height of the storm. DOT road crews were still trying to clear the highway as of 9 am AST on the 14th.