Heavy Snow, N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R
- When
- August 28, 1:00 PM AKST to August 29, 3:18 PM AKST
- Where
- N. Brooks Rng E of Colville R forecast zone
- Reported by
- SNOTEL
Heavy Snow in Alaska, August 28 to 29, 2015
An upper level low dropping down from the arctic brought cooler temperatures and precipitation in the form of snow above 2500 feet to portions of the Brooks Range during the evening hours of the 28th into the morning hours of the 29th. Estimated 8 inches of snow fell according to the Atigun Pass SNOTEL.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
An upper level low dropping down from the arctic brought cooler temperatures and precipitation in the form of snow above 2500 feet to portions of the Brooks Range during the evening hours of the 28th into the morning hours of the 29th. Estimated 8 inches of snow fell according to the Atigun Pass SNOTEL.
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 Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 5:33 AM AKST, 7 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 5:33 AM AKST, 7 hours 27 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 633 AM AKDT FRI AUG 28 2015 .DISCUSSION... THE OLD LOW ALOFT OVER THE NORTHERN CHUKCHI SEA IS MOVING SOUTH... AND WILL BE OVER THE WESTERN INTERIOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE SYSTEM IS VERTICALLY STACKED. THE SURFACE LOW IS ABOUT 990 MB 250 MI NORTH OF WAINWRIGHT. IT WILL MOVE SOUTH TO BE ABOUT 150 MI NORTH OF WAINWRIGHT AT 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON....AND 50 NM NE OF WAINWRIGHT AT 4 AM SATURDAY. THE SURFACE LOW WILL LIKELY FILL AFTER IT CROSSES THE ARCTIC COAST BETWEEN WAINWRIGHT AND BARROW SATURDAY AFTERNOON...BUT THE LOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE SOUTH AS INDICATED ABOVE. SURFACE WINDS ON THE ARCTIC COAST FROM WAINWRIGHT EAST WILL BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTHWEST AS THE LOW APPROACHES...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE RELIEF FROM THE COASTAL FLOODING / HIGH SURF IN ZONES 201 AND 202. WINDS IN ZONE 201 WEST OF ICY CAPE WILL REMAIN STRONG AND ONSHORE...BUT THE WAVES ARE LOWER THERE...AND POINT LAY DOES NOT HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF COASTAL PROBLEMS ANYWAY. THE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEA AND THE NORTHEAST BERING SEA IS WEAKENING...AND A TROUGH WILL EXTEND SOUTH FROM THE CHUKCHI SEA LOW TO THE WESTERN INTERIOR BY 4AM SAT. HIGH PRESSURE OVER EASTERN RUSSIA WILL PERSIST THOUGH...ALLOWING THE APPROACHING LOW TO GENERATE BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS OVER THE SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEA. ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...A CAUSE FOR CONCERN ABOUT HIGH SURF AT SHISHMAREF. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE INTERIOR WILL WEAKEN EVEN FASTER THAN THE LOW APPROACHES...THANKS TO THE TROUGH MENTIONED ABOVE. PRECIPITATION OVER THE INTERIOR HAS ALREADY BECOME SHOWERY IN CHARACTER. NOT MUCH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED...EXCEPT NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER THIS MORNING. SHOWERS WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND THOUGH. THE ATMOSPHERE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY UNSTABLE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE && .FIRE WEATHER... NO ISSUES && .HYDROLOGY... THE RAIN WE GOT TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY IS STILL WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH OUR STREAMS. MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING ON THE CHENA RIVER AND ON THE SOUTH FORK OF THE KUSKOKWIM RIVER. GAUGES SMALLER STREAMS AND ON THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE RIVERS HAVE FLATTENED OUT IF THEY ARE NOT DROPPING. NO INFORMATION ON WHETHER OR NOT THE C.O.E. WILL OPERATE THE MOOSE CREEK DAM. THE CHENA AT THE MOOSE CREEK DAM IS PRESENTLY FORECAST TO CREST LATE FRIDAY NIGHT JUST BELOW THEIR THRESHOLD. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... COASTAL FLOOD WARNING FOR AKZ202. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ207. WINTER STORM WATCH FOR AKZ206. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230- PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245. && DJH AUG 15
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 12:12 PM AKST, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 112 PM AKDT FRI AUG 28 2015 AKZ227-292100- UPPER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY- INCLUDING...MCGRATH...NIKOLAI...TAKOTNA...FAREWELL LAKE 112 PM AKDT FRI AUG 28 2015 ...HIGH WATER MOVING DOWN THE KUSKOKWIM RIVER... HEAVY RAINFALL ON THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN FACING SLOPES OF THE ALASKA RANGE HAS CAUSED A SURGE OF HIGH WATER TO FLOW DOWN THE KUSKOKWIM. HIGH WATER WAS REPORTED AT NIKOLAI ON THURSDAY MORNING (8/27). AT MCGRATH WATER LEVELS ROSE 3 FEET IN 24 HOURS. FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED HOWEVER...RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO MOVE PERSONAL BELONGINGS FROM THE WATERS EDGE AS THIS WAVE OF HIGHER WATER PASSES. ET
Event by event
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- 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
- Damaging Winds in Florida, August 28, 2015
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Georgia, August 28, 2015
- Hail in North Dakota, August 28, 2015
- Hail in Minnesota, August 28, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, August 28, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 28, 2015
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, August 28, 2015
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, August 28, 2015
- Rip Current in New Jersey, August 28, 2015
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, August 28, 2015
- Wildfire in Montana, August 28 to 29, 2015
- Tornado in Kansas, August 28, 2015
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, August 2015
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: 591837.