A 1046 MB high cell over the Yukon forced the arctic front south into Dixon Entrance. Warm moist air from the Gulf moved aloft over the front for the southern third of the Panhandle on 2/8.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.
A 1046 MB high cell over the Yukon forced the arctic front south into Dixon Entrance. Warm moist air from the Gulf moved aloft over the front for the southern third of the Panhandle on 2/8. Due to an intense change in the upper flow pattern, the high moved southeast to Alberta while a 974 MB low developed in the eastern Gulf on 2/9 which caused heavy snow. While the snow continued, strong pressure gradients developed for gusty winds which diminished later on 2/10. Moisture continued to move aloft over the front with the heavy snow continuing on 2/10 into 2/11. A few areas continued with snow on 2/12.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 8, 6:00 AM AKST, 12 hours earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
1100 AM AST FRI FEB 8 2008
.SHORT RANGE...
WE AGREE WITH THE MID SHIFT THAT A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL OCCUR
FOR MOST OF SE ALASKA STARTING TONIGHT. ZONE 17 WILL STILL HAVE
SOME EFFECTS BUT A COMBINATION OF HIGH WIND...HEAVY SNOW...WIND
CHILL AND POOR VISIBILITY WILL HAMMER THE PANHANDLE. FIRST THE
INGREDIENTS FOR TAKU WIND APPEAR TO PEAK AT 12Z SAT BASED ON THE
MOUNTAIN WAVE PROGRAM. NEXT HEAVY SNOW WILL SPREAD SOUTH TO NORTH
WITH THE ONSET EARLY MORNING FOR THE ANNETTE 3-ZONES THROUGH SAT.
SNOW WILL BEGIN FURTHER NORTH THROUGH SAT WITH OVERRUNNING BUT
THE HEAVY STUFF HITS JUNEAU SAT NIGHT. INCREDIBLY THE TAKU WIND
GUIDANCE CONTINUES INTO SAT NIGHT SO WE HAVE DECIDED TO MERGE THE
HIGH WIND AND HEAVY SNOW INTO COMBINED WINTER STORM FOR THIS
EVENT. WE WILL EXECUTE THIS SOMETIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS SHIFT.
WE WILL MAINTAIN THE STORM FORCE WIND IN THE OFFSHORE AHEAD OF
THE WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN LOW. COLD AIR FUNNELS
REPORTED BY A PILOT TOPS 1000 FT THIS MORNING NEAR COVERDEN
REQUIRED A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING.
.LONG RANGE...
THE UKMET AND ECMWF APPEAR TO BE THE BEST MODELS FOR THE MEDIUM
RANGE AND HAVE BEEN THE MOST CONSISTENT...BUT DUE TO ADDRESSING
THE URGENT SHORT TERM WINTER STORM WE WILL ONLY HAVE SMALL
CHANGES TO THE MEDIUM RANGE GRIDS. SNOW AND SOME WIND THROUGH THE
WEEKEND IS THE SCREAMING MESSAGE THAT WILL CONTINUE.
.AJK...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM 18>29.
MARINE...SMW 13. GALES 11>51. SMCR 52.
HVY FREEZ SPRAY 11>36 43 51.
KJH/JC9 heavy snow, 9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter near Ketchikan measured 10.0 inches of new snowfall from 2330 2/8 to 1500 2/9. Analyses showed that most of the snow fell between 0300 and 1500 2/9 as per the observation time series at Ketchikan airport ASOS. Thorne Bay COOP had a storm total of 12.5 inches on 2/9 and 2/10.
The COOP observer at Hyder measured 9.5 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0700 2/9 and 10.9 inches 2/10.
South Douglas wind sensor recorded a peak wind of 61 MPH at 0024 on 2/9. |Auke Bay COOP measured a storm total of 9.3 inches of new snow from 2/9 through 2/11. Downtown Juneau had gusts around 30 MPH during the storm. The Juneau airport was closed from 1353 to 2015 on 2/9 due to 1/4 mile visibility in snow also with low level wind shear.
The COOP observer north of Ketchikan measured 10.0 inches of new snow for 15.5 hours ending at 1500 on 2/9 and 3.7 inches on 2/10. Typical wind gusts through the storm were 30 to 40 MPH. On 2/12 our COOP reported that a gust hit his house like a freight train, but no damage was reported. Ketchikan airport was closed for periods on 2/9 - 2/11 due to visibility below one mile in snow. Thorne Bay COOP had a storm total of 12.5 inches on 2/9 and 2/10.
During this storm the snow changed back and forth to rain. The COOP observer at Craig measured 3.6 inches of new snow for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on 2/9. Typical gusts were around 30 to 40 MPH, but Craig also had a gust to 66 MPH overnight on 2/10 and to 69 MPH on the night of 2/11.
The Hyder COOP observer measured new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0700: 2/9 9.5 inches; 2/10 10.9 inches; 2/11 7.1 inches; 2/12 6.0 inches for a storm total of 33.5 inches of snow. Analyses also showed that wind gusts to at least 40 mph occurred 2/9 - 2/11 along the western channels of the Misty Fjords.
Areas of Baranof Island got clobbered with heavy snow on 2/9 and 2/10. |The Little Port Walter COOP observer measured 15.2 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 1700 on 2/9 and 15.5 inches at 1700 on 2/10. The Sitka Airport routinely had gusts around 30 knots throughout this storm. The snow changed to rain at Sitka at 0153 on 2/10. Port Alexander had a storm total of 8.0 inches of snow.
The Hidden Falls hatchery COOP observer measured 13.0 inches of new snow for twenty-four hours ending at 1300 on 2/9 and 5.0 inches at 1300 on 2/10. Compared to the hourly observations at Angoon, Heavy snow began around 0600 on 2/9.
The Hoonah COOP observer measured 10.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0900 on 2/10. Analyses indicate that most of the snow fell during the morning of 2/9. Hoonah airport had wind gusts around 35 knots during the storm.
Heavy snow began at both Petersburg and Wrangell around 0815 on 2/9. The official observation at Wrangell airport had visibility 1/4 mile starting then and the snow persisted until early morning on 2/11. Wrangell also observed routine wind gusts exceeding 30 MPH. The COOP observer at Petersburg measured a storm total of 19.5 inches of new snow 2/9 through 2/11.
The Gustavus COOP observer measured 6.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on 2/10. The Glacier Bay COOP observer measured 10.5 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on 2/10. Based on visibility observations at the Gustavus Airport ASOS, most of the snow fell during a four hour period on 2/9 between 1300 and 1700. The Bartlett cove marine observation measured a peak wind of 20 knots during the snowfall.
Chichigof Island got clobbered with heavy snow 2/9 and 2/10. Elfin Cove observed 7.1 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 1500 on 2/9 and 13.2 inches at 1500 on 2/10 with a wind gust recorded to 31 knots on the evening of 2/9. Pelican observed 21.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0600 on 2/10 and 10.0 inches on 2/11 at 0600.
The Gustavus COOP observer measured 6.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on 2/10. The Glacier Bay COOP observer measured 10.5 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on 2/10. Snow continued later on 2/10 for storm totals 14.1 inches at Glacier Bay and 7.0 inches at Gustavus. Satellite imagery indicated that even heavier snow showers just missed town later on 2/10.
The Hoonah COOP observer measured 10.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0900 on 2/10. Hoonah airport had poor visibility in heavy snow after 0900 on 2/10, but only gained one inch additional twenty-four hour accumulation due to a change to rain late that night. Storm total 11.0 inches.
Pelican COOP observer measured an additional 10.0 inches of new snow during the daytime on 2/10.
The Hyder COOP observer measured new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0700: 2/9 9.5 inches; 2/10 10.9 inches; 2/11 7.1 inches; 2/12 6.0 inches for a storm total of 33.5 inches of snow.
Haines customs COOP observer measured 4.0 inches of new snow for 24 hours ending 0700 2/11 and 12.0 inches for for 24 hours ending 0700 on 2/12. Upslope conditions were most favorable for heavy snow on the night of 2/11.
The Yakutat NWS office measured 8.8 inches of new snow between 0600 and 1800 on 2/10. Storm total snowfall was 15.0 inches for this storm, 2/9 through 2/11.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2008
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 88632, 88634, 88944, 88960, 88961, 88962, 88914, 88916, 88964, 88967, 88896, 88912, 89261, 89271, 89275, 89277, 89281, 89287.