Wintry weather affected the Panhandle on November 11th and 12th. On the 11th, west wind aloft brought snow showers and significant wind.
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.
Wintry weather affected the Panhandle on November 11th and 12th. On the 11th, west wind aloft brought snow showers and significant wind. The situation changed rapidly on the 12th as a deep storm force low to 961 MB moved into the central Gulf. The combination of the rapid moving systems caused some heavy snow in the Lynn Canal area while causing high wind for Prince of Wales Island and the Ketchikan area.
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 11, 3:57 PM AKST, 5 hours 3 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
357 PM AKST WED NOV 11 2015
.SHORT TERM...STRONG STORM IN THE WORKS FOR TONIGHT FOR THE
PANHANDLE. THE MAIN LOW IS SW OF KODIAK WITH THE FRONT SPREADING
ACROSS THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL GULF AT THE MOMENT. THAT FRONT WILL
BE SPREADING EAST AT A RATHER FAST PACE. IT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE
LANDFALL ON THE PANHANDLE LATE TONIGHT BRINGING RAIN AND WIND TO
THE AREA. THE GULF WILL SEE STORM FORCE WINDS TONIGHT WHILE THE
PANHANDLE WILL SEE HIGH WIND GUSTS LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT. PRE-FRONTAL 850 MB WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 60 TO
70 KT RANGE ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THUS HIGH
WIND WARNINGS REMAIN UP FOR THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE TONIGHT WITH
STRONG WIND HEADLINES UP FOR MUCH OF THE REST OF THE PANHANDLE.
AS FOR PRECIP, THE WARM AIR ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL WARM
THINGS UP ENOUGH THE MOST AREAS WILL BE RAIN ONCE THE FRONTAL RAIN
BANDS MAKE IT TOO THE AREA. THE EXCEPTIONS WILL BE THE HAINES,
SKAGWAY, AND HYDER. WINTER STORM WARNINGS REMAIN UP FOR THE HAINES
AND KLONDIKE HIGHWAYS FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW AS
SIGNIFICANT SNOW FALL IS EXPECTED AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON BOTH
HIGHWAYS. SEA LEVEL LOCATIONS WILL LIKELY SEE LESS ACCUMULATIONS
AS SOUTHERLY WINDS BRING MORE WARM AIR INTO THE AREA. HAINES WILL
LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO RAIN LATE TONIGHT. SKAGWAY MAY REMAIN A MIX
THROUGH AT LEAST THE MORNING. HYDER REMAINS UNDER AN ADVISORY AS
SNOW MELT COOLING AND THE SURFACE COLD AIR FROM THE NEW SNOW PACK
IN THAT AREA WILL LIKELY PROMOTE MORE SNOW THERE TONIGHT. WHAT
YAKUTAT WILL BE IS RATHER UNCERTAIN. THEIR TEMPERATURE IS
CURRENTLY SITTING RIGHT AT FREEZING WITH AN E WIND. CURRENT
GUIDANCE HAS YAKUTAT WARMING UP AND CHANGING TO RAIN DURING THE
EVENING WITH MORE SE FLOW GETTING INTO THE AREA, BUT IF YAKUTAT
MAINTAINS A E OR NE WIND THEY COULD EASILY REMAIN COLD ENOUGH FOR
SNOW OVERNIGHT WITH SOME ACCUMULATIONS. LEANING TOWARD THE WARM UP
BUT THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO BE WATCHED OVERNIGHT.
INTO TOMORROW, THE FRONT WILL HAVE ALREADY MOVED INTO CANADA
CHANGING PRECIP OVER TO SHOWERS AND STARTING UP THE POST-FRONTAL
WINDS IN THE GULF. THE MAIN LOW WHICH WILL NOW BE IN THE CENTRAL
GULF WILL STILL BE RATHER STRONG. ENOUGH THAT HIGH GALE TO STORM
FORCE WESTERLY WINDS WILL SHOW UP FOR THE SOUTHERN GULF. THESE
WINDS WILL BLOW INTO THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OUTER COAST TOMORROW
AFTERNOON WITH ENOUGH STRENGTH TO WARRANT STRONG WIND HEADLINES
FOR THOSE AREAS AS WELL.
SHORT RANGE MODELS WERE IN GOOD AGREEMENT TODAY. MAIN CHANGES WERE
THAT MODELS HAD SLOWED UP THE SPEED OF THE FRONT FOR TONIGHT BY 1
OR 2 HOURS. THIS DID NOT RESULT IN MUCH OF A CHANGE EXPECT FOR
KEEPING GALES IN THE COAST GULF WATERS A LITTLE LONGER THEN THE
PREVIOUS FORECAST HAD. MAINLY USED NAM AND GFS FOR GUIDANCE TODAY.
.LONG TERM...AS THE UPPER LOW DESCRIBED ABOVE WEAKENS AND MOVES
INTO THE PANHANDLE...IT WILL THE LARGESCALE TROUGH WILL PERSIST
OVER THE GULF WITH WEAKER IMPULSES CONTINUING A SLIGHT RISK OF
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN GULF WATERS. IN
ADDITION...CONTINUED STRONG GRADIENT ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN GULF
WATERS WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED STRONG WINDS POSSIBLE FOR THE
PACIFIC SIDE OF BARANOF ISLAND AND QUITE POSSIBLY FOR PRINCE OF
WALES ISLAND AS WELL. MODELS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THIS WITH 40 TO
50 KT OF WIND AT 925 MB. SOUTHERLY GALES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS
SOME OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PANHANDLE INNER CHANNELS WHILE A
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE BEGINS TO EXTEND EAST INTO THE ICY
STRAIT/SOUTHERN LYNN AREA. HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO NUDGING
SOUTHWARD FROM THE YUKON TO GIVE RISE TO NORTHERLIES FROM ELDRED
ROCK NORTHWARD. THUS BEGINS THE STORY COMING TOGETHER FOR SEVERAL
DAYS NOW. THE COLDER AIR IS COMING.
WE ARE TAKING A CONSERVATIVE ROUTE WITH THE COLDER AIR
INFILTRATION THIS WEEKEND AND PERSISTING INTO NEXT WEEK.
YAKUTAT...SKAGWAY...AND HAINES WILL ONCE AGAIN SEE RAIN MIXING IN
WITH SNOW BY FRIDAY AFTER A MARINE AIR MASS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
FRONT ABOVE CHANGES MOST AREAS BACK TO RAIN SHOWERS. THIS
TRANSITION WORKS ITS WAY SOUTH AND EASTWARD ON SATURDAY FROM
PELICAN TO GUSTAVUS, HOONAH, AND JUNEAU. THEN IT SLIDES SOUTH INTO
ANGOON AND PETERSBURG SATURDAY NIGHT THEREAFTER. AMOUNTS SHOULD BE ON
THE LIGHTER SIDE IN GENERAL BUT WITH POTENTIAL GREATLY UNSTABLE
CONDITIONS OWING TO THE STILL WARM GULF...MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOW
BURSTS ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. WHILE SOUTHERN AREA FORECASTS
ARE NOT STRESSING THE SNOW AS MUCH...850 MB TEMPERATURES OF -6 C
SOUTH TO DIXON ENTRANCE INDICATE THAT SNOW IS A POSSIBILITY AS
EARLY AS SATURDAY NIGHT. BUT AT THIS POINT WE HAVE ONLY MENTIONED
IT LATER INTO NEXT WEEK.
MEANWHILE AS THE STORM TRACK BEGINS TO AIM MORE SOUTH OF DIXON
ENTRANCE INTO NEXT WEEK...PRECIPITATION CHANCES BEGIN TO DIMINISH
ACROSS THE NORTH. SOME MODELS ARE TAKING THIS CHANGE HARDER THAN
OTHERS...LIKE THE GFS...AND THUS THEY HAVE INDICATED MUCH COOLER
TEMPERATURES, NO DOUBT ASSOCIATED WITH SOME POTENTIAL SKY
CLEARING. THUS OUR TEMPERATURES...WHILE CHILLY NEXT WEEK...COULD
BE EVEN COLDER BUT WITH DRIER CONDITIONS.
USED GFS/ECMWF AS GUIDE FOR LONG-TERM EDITS WHERE CHANGES WERE
NEEDED, BUT OVERALL FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK. FORECAST CONFIDENCE
IN GENERAL GOOD FOR SYNOPTICS. WHILE SNOW AMOUNTS THIS WEEKEND AND
BEYOND SHOULD BE IN GENERAL LIGHTER...VARIABILITY WILL BE A
CONCERN AS TIME PERIOD NEARS.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...STRONG WIND FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM AKST THURSDAY FOR
AKZ022-023-026.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM AKST THURSDAY
FOR AKZ027.
STRONG WIND FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR
AKZ027.
STRONG WIND FROM 9 PM AKST THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR
AKZ025.
STRONG WIND FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR
AKZ023.
STRONG WIND FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 3 AM AKST THURSDAY FOR
AKZ017-020.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 3 AM AKST THURSDAY
FOR AKZ028.
STRONG WIND FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT AKST TONIGHT FOR
AKZ028.
STRONG WIND FROM 3 AM AKST THURSDAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR
AKZ028.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON AKST
THURSDAY FOR AKZ029.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON AKST THURSDAY
FOR AKZ018-019.
MARINE...STORM WARNING FOR PKZ036-041>043-051-052.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ013-021-022-031>035-053.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ011-012.
&&
EAL/JWA
VISIT US AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JUNEAU2 high wind, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Hydaburg had measured gusts to 64 MPH and numerous gusts in the low 60s. No damage was reported.
The Klondike Highway observed 10 to 15 inches storm total snowfall by the evening of the 12th. No damage reported, but plowing operations along the Klondike Highway were intense.
Haines Customs on the Haines Highway observed 14 inches storm total snowfall by noon on the 12th. No damage reported, but plowing operations along the Haines Highway were intense.
Annette observed the strongest wind on the 11th with gusts to 59 MPH. Gusts in the area were estimated to be 65 MPH. No damage was reported. Some nearby marine observations had peak gusts to 67 Knots.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 2015
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: 606728, 606726, 606727, 606729.