Arctic high pressure had become established over the southern Yukon. The arctic front was over Juneau on the evening of 11/30 and moved south over the southern Panhandle through 12/1.
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.
Arctic high pressure had become established over the southern Yukon. The arctic front was over Juneau on the evening of 11/30 and moved south over the southern Panhandle through 12/1. Petersburg got around 11.2 inches of snow by noon on 12/2.
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 Dec 1, 6:59 AM AKST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
659 AM AKST SAT DEC 1 2012
.SHORT TERM...VERY TRICKY FORECAST IN THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH
THE COMBINATION OF STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS ALONG WITH WINTER WEATHER
MOVING OVER THE AREA. THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A LOW
PRESSURE SOUTHWEST OF HAIDA GWAII THAT WILL DRIFT NORTH INTO DIXON
ENTRANCE BY LATE TONIGHT. THERE IS A UPPER TROF THAT DROPPED OUT
OF THE INTERIOR OF AK OVER NIGHT AND IT IS DIGGING INTO THE
NORTHERN GULF. THIS TROF WILL DRIFT EAST INTO THE EASTERN GULF
THROUGH TONIGHT. THERE IS A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE
LOW THAT WILL LIFT NORTH THROUGH TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS FRONT
WILL INTERACT WITH THE DEEP ARCTIC AIR OVER THE NORTHERN TWO
THIRDS OF THE FORECAST AREA ALONG WITH UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS FROM
THE TROF. THIS WILL PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SNOW AS THE
WARM AIR OVER RUNS THE COLD AIR AND THE UPPER TROF WILL ENHANCE
THE VERTICAL MOTION. SO WITH THAT SAID ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WARNING FOR ZONES 23,24,26 STARTING EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AS SNOW
HAS STARTED TO MOVE OVER THOSE AREAS AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT. AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES BUT THE SNOW WILL
DIMINISH SOME OVER THOSE AREAS AS THE ENERGY AND BANDS LIFT NORTH
OF THAT AREA. THE SNOW WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING OVER THE
NORTHERN CENTRAL AREAS WITH ABOUT 6 INCHES THROUGH TONIGHT BUT
WILL CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY. ALONG WITH THE SNOW THE WINDS WILL
REMAIN TO GUSTS TO 45 MPH NEAR INTERIOR PASSES THAT WILL PRODUCE
BLOWING SNOW REDUCING VISIBILITIES. FURTHER NORTH THE PRECIP WILL
GET THERE LATE TONIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 2 INCHES. THE FAR
SOUTHERN AREAS WILL MAINLY BE RAIN BUT THERE WILL BE POCKETS OF
SNOW OR A MIX NEAR KLAWOCK AND NORTH OF KETCHIKAN WITH EAST WINDS
KEEPING SOME COOLER DEW POINTS. AMOUNTS WILL NOT BE THAT MUCH WITH
UP TO 2 INCHES THROUGH TONIGHT.
THE HIGH PRESSURE IN CANADA WILL PERSIST AND WITH THE LOW LIFTING
NEAR DIXON ENTRANCE THE VERY STRONG WINDS OVER MARINE WATERS AND
NEAR INTERIOR PASSES WILL PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT. SO WITH THAT
SAID STORM FORCE WINDS ALONG WITH HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WILL
CONTINUE IN NORTHERN LYNN. GALES TO SMALL CRAFT WILL CONTINUE OVER
THE REST OF THE MARINE WATERS WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 KT FROM
INTERIOR PASSES BUT THOSE WILL DECREASE SOME TONIGHT. SEA HEIGHTS
WILL REMAIN BE VERY HIGH OVER N/'S CHANNELS WITH FULLY DEVELOPED
SEAS FROM THE PERSISTENT WINDS. OVER LAND STRONG GUSTS WILL
PERSIST OVER THE FAR NORTHERN AREAS AND ALONG THE COAST RANGE WITH
GUSTS RANGING FROM 40 TO 50 MPH. WITH THE COLD TEMPS NEAR WHITE
PASS WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO BE AROUND 30 BELOW. SO THERE IS AN
ADVISORY FOR THAT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
CONTINUE TO USE A BLEND OF THE EC/NAM AS THEY BOTH ARE HANDLING
THE UPPER TROF AND SURFACE LOW VERY WELL. FORECASTER CONFIDENCE IN
ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THE NEXT 24HRS.
.LONG TERM...BUSY NIGHT OF COORDINATION WITH SHORT TERM DESK
OVER WINTER STORM EVENT FOR CENTRAL PANHANDLE. AS LOW WEST OF
HAIDA GWAII SLOWLY MOVES NORTHWEST TO JUST OFFSHORE OF CAPE
DECISION SUNDAY...ASSOCIATED WEATHER FRONT SHIFTS EVER SLIGHTLY
WESTWARD FROM THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE TO THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE.
THEREFORE WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR SNOW EXTEND INTO SUNDAY FOR
THE JUNEAU AND HOONAH AREAS FOR STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO
ONE FOOT OF NEW SNOW. GUSTAVUS...A BIT MORE SHELTERED...WILL JUST
MISS WARNING CRITERIA. ALSO IT IS LOOKING MORE LIKELY THAT HAINES
WILL SEE ACTION AS WELL. WITH SNOW BEGINNING LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT...IT WILL LIKELY INTENSIFY SUNDAY AND UP TO ONE FOOT LIKELY
THERE THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...THUS A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS
BEEN ISSUED. IN ADDITION...SINCE OUTFLOW GRADIENTS WILL STILL BE
STRONG SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT DURING THE STORM, FEEL THAT
BLOWING SNOW WILL BE AN ISSUE FOR HAINES NEAR LYNN CANAL AS WELL
AS DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND DOUGLAS. LOOK FOR DRIFTING IN THESE AREAS
WITH THE KIND OF SNOW MORE FITTING FOR THE THE SHORES OF THE
BERING SEA RATHER THAN THE INSIDE PASSAGES. LOCATIONS SOUTH OF
ANGOON WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SNOW AS WELL...HOWEVER...SNOW AMOUNTS
HERE WILL NOT MERIT WARNINGS AND IN THE FAR SOUTH...SNOW SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MIX WITH RAIN.
REGARDING WINDS...BOOSTED OUTFLOW WINDS AT CROSS SOUND THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT TO GALE. KEPT HIGHER SEAS THAN 5 TO 1 RATIO IN
LYNN/CHATHAM NETWORK AS PERSISTENCE AND FETCH STILL BOOSTING WAVE
HEIGHTS. OTHERWISE...STORM FORCE WINDS FOR LYNN CANAL WILL SLOWLY
DIMINISH TO HIGH GALE BY MONDAY. GIVEN COLD TEMPERATURES...STRONG
WINDS...AND WAVES...FREEZING SPRAY WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE
THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AND LIKELY BEYOND.
BY MONDAY...THE UPPER DYNAMICS OF THE WEEKEND HAVE DIFFUSED BOTH
NORTH AND SOUTH. RESIDUAL POPS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE. BY TUESDAY
ANOTHER SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE NORTH TO DIXON ENTRANCE...SPREADING
MORE PRECIPITATION...MAINLY TO THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THIS WILL
ALSO RE-TIGHTEN GRADIENTS ACROSS THE INNER CHANNELS. THE LOW WILL
THEN MOVE NORTHWEST INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...THUS FLIPPING SOME WIND
DIRECTIONS...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN INNER CHANNELS.
BY THURSDAY...GFS AND ECMWF BEGIN TO REALLY DIVERGE WITH EC
BUILDING A STRONGER SYSTEM DEVELOPING FROM THE SOUTHWEST FOR THE
PANHANDLE ON FRIDAY. THE GFS THEN HOLDS BACK WITH A WEAKER LOW IN
THE NORTHERN GULF. CONTINUE TO SIDE WITH THE ECMWF INFLUENCED HPC
FOR THE EXTENDED TERM.
CONFIDENCE IN SUNDAY AND SUNDAY ABOVE AVERAGE...DROPS TO AVERAGE
FOR MONDAY THEREAFTER. CONCENTRATED ON ECMWF/NAM FOR SUNDAY AND
MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY HPC AND ECMWF AFTER WARDS.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM AKST SUNDAY FOR
AKZ023-024-026.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM AKST SUNDAY
FOR AKZ021-025.
STRONG WIND THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR AKZ017>019-029.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
FOR AKZ019.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM AKST SUNDAY
FOR AKZ018.
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ012-013.
STORM WARNING FOR PKZ012.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ011-013-021-022-031-032-035-051.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ033-034-036-042-043-053.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY DUE TO SEAS FOR PKZ041.
&&
ABJ/JWA4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Hidden Falls measured 4 inches of new snow on Dec first and 6 inches of new snow on the 2nd for a storm total of 10 inches. Snowfall ended early on the morning of the 2nd.
Petersburg COOP measured 1.7 inches on 12/1 and 9.5 inches on 12/2. Most of the new snow fell during the early morning hours of 12/2. The snow was heavy and rapidly compacted on 12/2.
Angoon had two and half days of steady snow starting on the afternoon of 12/1. Although there are no snow measurements in Zone 24, Hidden Falls Hatchery just across Chatham Strait got 10 inches ending on the 12/2.
Hoonah Water Treatment Plant had total new snowfall of 9.7 inches ending at 0900 AKST for 12/2 and 12/3 (morning measurements). Most of the snow fell on the afternoon of Dec 2nd. Some rain mixed in and the snow pack was quite heavy for difficult removal. No reports from Tenakee, but they were probably buried.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2012
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: 425215, 426044, 426047, 426056.