Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 30, 2014

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 30, 2014
Start: 2014-11-30T00:00
End: 2014-11-30T23:59
Location: Alaska

November 30, 2014 · NWS AJK · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Cold air was trapped over the inner channels from Fri Nov 28 through Sun Nov 30 due to blocking high pressure. Heavy snow began as warm moist air moved over the area as the block broke down.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.

Cold air was trapped over the inner channels from Fri Nov 28 through Sun Nov 30 due to blocking high pressure. Heavy snow began as warm moist air moved over the area as the block broke down. Weak surface low pressure developed over the Eastern Gulf of Alaska as the arctic front moved northward into the Yukon. A second snow event occurred on Dec 1, but the amounts were not as heavy as on the 30th. No damage or power outages were reported, but snow removal was a challenge due to this being the first measurable snowfall of the 2014-2015 season.

What forecasters said that day

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 Nov 29, 3:04 PM AKST, 8 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 29, 3:04 PM AKST, 8 hours 56 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
304 PM AKST SAT NOV 29 2014

.SHORT TERM...WEAK SURFACE LOW (~1015 MB ) WITH UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH SUPPORT MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF FOR OVERRUNNING
SNOW EVENT FOR MUCH OF THE PANHANDLE. MODELS HAVE BEEN ON
GENERALLY ON TRACK WITH THIS SYSTEM AND THE HANDLING. SNOW HAS
STARTED IN THE YAKUTAT AREA SATURDAY AFTER AS EXPECTED AND WILL
SEE THIS PROGRESS INTO THE PANHANDLE OVER NIGHT.

MADE MINIMAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST WITH THE WARNING EVENT
IN PLACE AND NO SIGNIFICANT REASONING TO MAKE ALTERATIONS TO IT.
SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE REGION AND TIMING DEPEND ON THE LOCATIONS
AND THE AMOUNT OF COLD AIR. SOME WARMER TEMPERATURES CREEPING INTO
THE BARANOF ISLAND AND WESTERN PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND SO LITTLE IN
WAY OF SNOW TONIGHT AND SUNDAY EXPECTED. BEST AMOUNTS FOR HEAVIER
SNOW ARE GOING TO BE THE INLAND VALLEYS OF THE COAST RANGE FROM
ABOUT JUNEAU TO HYDER. THE HAINES AREA MAY GET SOME SNOW
TOO...HOWEVER LOW TRACK IS TAKING ALL THE FUN AWAY FROM THEM.

IN THE MARINES WITH THE LOW APPROACHING THE COAST THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT WILL INCREASE OF THE NORTH ON SUNDAY WITH A HIGH BUILDING
OVER THE YUKON SO SMALL CRAFTS REBUILDING TO MIN GALES FOR THE
NORTHERN GALES.

.LONG TERM...UPPER DISTURBANCE ENTERING THE NRN GULF THIS
AFTERNOON IS FORECAST TO RESIDE OVER THE SRN PANHANDLE BY THE
START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD /06Z MON/. STRONGEST ASCENT WILL BE
LOCATED CLOSE TO THIS FEATURE. THUS...GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR
MODERATE SNOWFALL SUN NIGHT WILL BE FOCUSED ALONG AND E OF A
PETERSBURG TO KETCHIKAN LINE...WITH HYDER MOST PROBABLE DUE TO
COLDER AIRMASS LOCATED INLAND. THE UPPER VORT MAX THEN SHIFTS INTO
B.C. BY MON AFTERNOON...WITH PRECIPITATION EFFECTIVELY SHUTTING
DOWN IN ITS WAKE OVER THE PANHANDLE.

NEXT UPPER TROUGH ENTERS THE WRN/CNTRL GULF ON TUE...WITH AN
ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ENTERING COASTAL AREAS OF THE
PANHANDLE TUE NIGHT. SUBFREEZING AIRMASS WILL STILL BE IN PLACE
AHEAD OF THE FRONT OVER NRN/CNTRL PORTIONS OF SERN AK...AS WELL AS
HYDER. THEREFORE...EXPECT ANOTHER 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW TUE MORNING
INTO TUE NIGHT AS MOIST ISENTROPIC ASCENT OCCURS IN COMBINATION
WITH THE COLD AIR. CHANGE OVER TO RAIN WILL EVENTUALLY TAKE
PLACE...FIRST FOR YAKUTAT TUE AFTERNOON...AND THEN INLAND TUE
NIGHT...AS LOW-LEVEL SLYS USHER IN ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES
NEAR THE SURFACE.

FOR WED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE LONG TERM...MODEL GUIDANCE
SHOWS THE REGION WILL REMAIN IN SSWLY FLOW ALOFT. SPREAD INCREASES
WITH REGARD TO INDIVIDUAL EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES...ONE WHICH PASSES
ACROSS THE PANHANDLE ON FRI...AND A SECOND THAT ENTERS THE GULF ON
SUN. IN GENERAL...THIS PATTERN WILL SUPPORT WET WEATHER...WITH
TEMPERATURES CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO BE WARM ENOUGH TO NEGATE THE
THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. REGARDING MARINE HAZARDS...SMALL
CRAFT WINDS MAY OCCUR OVER THE OUTSIDE WATERS AS PREVIOUSLY
MENTIONED FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA ON TUE. IN ADDITION...SEAS ARE
FORECAST TO INCREASE TO AROUND 10 FEET BEHIND THE FRONT.

NO CHANGE TO PRESSURE GRIDS WAS MADE THROUGH 06Z WED...WITH ONLY
MINOR MODIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR WINDS. WPC WAS THEN BLENDED IN
FOR PRESSURE AND DERIVED WINDS 12Z WED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF
THE LONG TERM. AN ECMWF/GFS/OFFICIAL BLEND WAS USED FOR POP FIELDS
THROUGH 06Z WED...WITH HEAVIER RELIANCE ON WPC THEREAFTER. QPF
VALUES WERE LIMITED TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS FOR 12Z WED AND
BEYOND DUE TO INCREASING MODEL SPREAD. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS
AVERAGE.

&&

.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT AKST SUNDAY
     NIGHT FOR AKZ026.
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 4 PM AKST
     SUNDAY FOR AKZ020>022-024.
         WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 4 PM AKST SUNDAY
     FOR AKZ025.
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON AKST
     SUNDAY FOR AKZ019.
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM AKST SUNDAY FOR AKZ017.
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT AKST SUNDAY
     NIGHT FOR AKZ028.
         WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 AM SUNDAY TO 5 AM AKST MONDAY FOR
     AKZ029.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR PKZ012.
         SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ013-034>036-041>043.

&&

BEZENEK/GARNER

VISIT US AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JUNEAU

Event by event

2 winter storm, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Juneau Borough and Northern Admiralty Island

When: November 30, 12:00 AM AKST to 4:00 PM AKST
Where: Juneau Borough and Northern Admiralty Island forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

Numerous observations of heavy snow were reported for the Juneau area on Nov 30. Storm total amounts ranged from 6 to 12 inches for under 24 hours. The Juneau airport measured 9.5 inches from Sat night to Sun evening. Lena Loop had 10.4 inches. Outer Point had 11.5. No damage or power outages were reported.

Winter Storm, Inner Channels From Kupreanof Island to Etolin Island

When: November 30, 5:00 AM AKST to 11:59 PM AKST
Where: Inner Channels From Kupreanof Island to Etolin Island forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

Observations of heavy snow were reported for the Petersburg area on Nov 30. Storm total amounts ranged from 7 to 10 inches for under 24 hours. Petersburg airport COOP reported 7.5 inches by 10 PM Sunday. A trained spotter from Petersburg observed a total of 10 inches as of 11 PM Sunday. No damage or power outages were reported.

Heavy Snow, Misty Fjords

When: November 30, 5:00 AM AKST to 11:59 PM AKST
Where: Misty Fjords forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

Hyder COOP got 12 inches of new snow on Sunday Nov 30th.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, November 2014

Sources

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: 544637, 544638, 544639.