A 974 MB storm force low moved into the central Gulf of Alaska on the afternoon of Dec 13 with lots of warm moist air moving over the arctic front which was located near Berners Bay. By the afternoon of the 14th a secondary low moved into the eastern Gulf making landfall near Cape Fairweather then redeveloped over the Yukon overnight.
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 974 MB storm force low moved into the central Gulf of Alaska on the afternoon of Dec 13 with lots of warm moist air moving over the arctic front which was located near Berners Bay. By the afternoon of the 14th a secondary low moved into the eastern Gulf making landfall near Cape Fairweather then redeveloped over the Yukon overnight. The flow regime became southwest on the 15th with some cooler air.
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 13, 6:16 AM AKST, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
616 AM AKST FRI DEC 13 2013
.SHORT TERM...A 975 MB GALE FORCE LOW IN THE WESTERN GULF WILL
MOVE NORTHEASTWARD NEARING PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND THROUGH FRIDAY
EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED FRONT WILL CROSS OVER THE AK GULF THROUGH
THE DAY THEN MOVE OVER THE PANHANDLE TONIGHT. LONG FETCH OF SUB
TROPICAL MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING IN HEAVY
PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION. BIGGEST ISSUES WITH THIS SYSTEM IS
THE WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW THAT WILL INCREASE TEMPERATURES THROUGH
THE DAY AND THEN CONTINUE TO RISE OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL CAUSE
REGIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BELOW FREEZING AND RECEIVING SNOW TO
TRANSITION OVER THE RAIN TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. NORTH
CENTRAL PANHANDLE AREAS LOOKING AT SNOW FALL AMOUNTS IN THE 2 TO
6 INCHES RANGE TODAY INTO THIS EVENING AS THERE IS STILL A COLD
POOL OF AIR IN PLACE. AS 850 MB TEMPERATURES RISE THROUGH THE DAY
NEARING ZERO CELSIUS SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE UPWARDS OF 2000 TO
3000 FEET SO EVEN HIGHER ELEVATIONS WILL START TO SEE RAIN.
HEAVIEST SNOW FALL WILL AGAIN BE OVER THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE
ALONG THE HAINES AND KLONDIKE HIGHWAYS.
ISSUED WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HAINES AND SKAGWAY THROUGH
MIDNIGHT AS THEY WILL RETAIN THE COLD AIR WITH PRECIP FALLING AS
SNOW LONGER. AMOUNTS WILL BE LOWER THAN THE LAST SYSTEM BUT STILL
EXPECT SNOW TOTALS OF 6 TO 13 INCHES THROUGH MIDNIGHT. ISSUED A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR JUNEAU THROUGH 6 PM NOT SO MUCH FOR
THE SNOW FALL TOTALS BUT FOR THE IMPACTS. LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE
MENDENHALL VALLEY WILL TRANSITION TO RAIN THROUGH THE MORNING SO
WILL SEE LOWER SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE 1 TO 2 INCH RANGE. EXPECT 2 TO
5 INCHES FOR THE NORTHERN AREAS WITH HIGH SNOW FALL RATES. WITH
THE PACKED SNOW AND ICE ALONG ROADWAYS THE ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL
AND THE HEAVY RAIN WILL MAKE SLOPPY AND SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS AND
INITIALLY ADD EXTRA WEIGHT TO ALREADY HEAVY SNOW LOADED ROOFS AND
TREES.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW AND HEAVY RAIN WINDS WILL INCREASE
THROUGH THE DAY. COASTAL AREA WINDS WILL PICK UP FIRST WITH GALES
ALONG THE COASTAL WATER THEN MOVE INLAND. 850 MB WINDS IN THE
50 TO 60 KT RANGE ALONG THE FRONT WITH 40 TO 50 KTS WINDS BEHIND
THE FRONT MOVING OVER THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE. AS WINDS SHIFT TO
THE SOUTH GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. INNER CHANNEL WINDS WILL PICK UP TO GALES WITH A BRIEF
LULL AS THE GRADIENT SHIFTS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.
MODELS WERE IN FAIR AGREEMENT THIS MORNING. GFS WAS A BIT DEEPER
WITH THE LOW CENTER COMPARED TO THE NAM/ECMWF BUT ALL WERE
SIMILAR WITH POSITION AND TRACK OF THE SYSTEM. LIKED THE ECMWF
INITIALIZATION AND USED AN ECMWF/NAM BLEND WITH INHERITED GRIDS.
DID HAVE AN INCREASE IN WINDS FOR THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE BUT OTHER
CHANGES WERE MAINLY TO NAIL DOWN SNOW AMOUNTS. WHILE THERE IS
GOOD SYNOPTIC AGREEMENT FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS AVERAGE DUE TO
UNCERTAINTY WITH SNOW TOTALS AND EXACT TIMING OF TRANSITION TO
RAIN.
&&
.LONG TERM...MAJOR CHANGES FOR THE MID-RANGE AS THE MODELS ALL
ARE AGREEING IN A POST-FRONTAL SOUTHERLIES/SOUTH WESTERLIES
BEGINNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE MIDDLE PANHANDLE COAST SOUTH
TO THE SOUTHERN INNER CHANNELS AND QUICKLY SPREADING GALES
NORTHWARD...PARTICULARLY UP THE NORTH-SOUTH
PASSAGES...CULMINATING IN 45 KT FOR NORTHERN LYNN CANAL SATURDAY
EVENING. AS ONE LOW MOVES NORTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN GULF FRIDAY
AND NEAR PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND FRIDAY NIGHT, A SECOND LOW WILL
PUSH INTO THE NORTHEAST GULF SATURDAY AND WILL CROSS INTO THE
CANADIAN YUKON SATURDAY EVENING. BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE GULF
AND ACROSS THE BULK OF THE PANHANDLE PRESSURES WILL RISE JUST AS
THEY WILL FALL ON THE CANADIAN SIDE OF THE ST ELIAS MOUNTAINS.
GRADIENTS WILL COMPRESS VERY RAPIDLY. A QUICK GLANCE AT THE
INSIDE MARINE PACKAGES AND ONE WILL DISCOVER ABRUPT CHANGES FROM
SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY EVENING SPREADING NORTHWARD
THROUGH TIME. NORTHERN LYNN MAY GO FROM 15 KT TO 45 KT IN A
MATTER OF 3 HOURS TIME...THE TRANSITION COULD OCCUR THIS QUICKLY.
LAND WINDS WILL ALSO RISE SATURDAY AFTERNOON...TO 50 MPH SATURDAY
AFTERNOON FOR PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND AND TO 55 MPH SATURDAY
EVENING FOR SKAGWAY. JUNEAU SHOULD EXPERIENCE A SECOND ROUND OF
STRONG WINDS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY EVENING. WITH THIS
POST-COLD FRONTAL SURGE, HAVE TURNED SOME WINDS SOUTHWEST WHERE
THE TERRAIN ENCOURAGES IT.
ONCE THE LOW IS ASHORE, THE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN BEFORE SLOWLY
RELAXING SUNDAY. THUS WINDS WILL REMAIN ON THE STRONGER SIDE
THROUGH THE INSIDE PASSAGES.
WINDS WERE THE MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGE AND LITTLE TIME WAS
SPENT ON ANYTHING ELSE...ALTHOUGH DID RAISE TEMPERATURES FOR
SATURDAY NIGHT ACCORDING TO MOS GUIDANCE. THIS MADE SENSE AS
WINDS WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM FALLING TOO MUCH...EVEN AS
COLDER AIR WILL BEGIN PUSHING INTO THE PANHANDLE. KEPT SHOWERY
REGIME MOVING IN SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE MIXING TO SNOW. SHOWERS
WILL BE RAIN AND SNOW FOR SUNDAY EVEN AS TEMPERATURES RISE INTO
THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 30S FOR THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE AS GREATER
INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT THIS CHANGEOVER AT WARMER SURFACE
TEMPERATURES.
WESTERLIES WILL KEEP SHOWERS OVER THE FORECAST THROUGH NEXT WEEK
AND SOME NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BY MIDDLE OF THE WEEK IMPLIES THE
COOLER TEMPERATURES MOVING INTO THE PANHANDLE SUNDAY WILL REMAIN
THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK-WEEK.
MODELS OF CHOICE WERE THE NAM AND ECMWF WITH WPC USED AS
GUIDANCE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. GFS...ALTHOUGH NOT BAD...SEEMED A
BIT SLOWER THAN THE OTHERS WITH THE SECOND WAVE. GRIDS CHANGED TO
STRENGTHEN GRADIENT ACROSS THE PANHANDLE AS WELL AS TO CLOSE THE
LOW MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST GULF. POP/QPF UNCHANGED FROM
PREVIOUS FORECAST.
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...STRONG WIND FROM 3 PM AKST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
FOR AKZ020-021-026-028.
STRONG WIND FROM NOON AKST TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR AKZ027.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM AKST
THIS EVENING FOR AKZ025.
STRONG WIND FROM NOON AKST TODAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR AKZ022.
STRONG WIND FROM NOON AKST TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR AKZ023.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO MIDNIGHT AKST
TONIGHT FOR AKZ018-019.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR PKZ021-022-033>036-041>043-051-052.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ011>013-031-032-053.
&&
PRB/JWA2 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Downtown Haines got 14 inches of new snow from this storm. Haines Customs got 11.5 inches of new snow storm total.
Skagway Customs observed a storm total of 7 inches of new snow. Winds were as high as 56 mph on the 14th and 54 mph on the 15th for near blizzard conditions.
Skagway Airport had a peak gust of 56 mph on the 14th with blowing and drifting snow on the Klondike Highway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2013
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: 498887, 498889, 498879.