A strong front that was spawned from a massive low pressure system in the Western Gulf approached the outer coast on the night of the 27th. This caused a several day snowstorm mainly along higher elevations in the Northern Lynn Canal area due to the arctic front becoming stationary about the latitude of Skagway.
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 strong front that was spawned from a massive low pressure system in the Western Gulf approached the outer coast on the night of the 27th. This caused a several day snowstorm mainly along higher elevations in the Northern Lynn Canal area due to the arctic front becoming stationary about the latitude of Skagway. Alaska DOT was very busy plowing snow from the roads, but no damage was reported.
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 27, 4:00 PM AKST, 2 hours earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
400 PM AKST FRI NOV 27 2015
.SHORT TERM...OCCLUDED FRONT OVER THE EASTERN GULF WILL MOVE INTO
THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE TONIGHT...THEN REACH THE CENTRAL AREA SAT
MORNING BEFORE STALLING. THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT BACK TO THE
NW DURING THE AFTERNOON. LOOKS LIKE ONE OR MORE SMALL LOW PRESSURE
WAVES WILL MOVE ALONG THE FRONT TONIGHT AND SAT. USED BLEND OF THE
12Z GFS/NAM FOR TONIGHT AND SAT.
MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS WILL BE PRECIP POTENTIAL/AMOUNTS...PTYPE
OVER THE FAR N...WINDS...AND THREAT FOR TSTMS. RIGHT NOW...PRECIP
IS FALLING GENERALLY W OF A PAJN-PASI LINE...AND WILL SPREAD EWD
THRU THE NIGHT AS FRONT MOVES IN. THINK IT WILL GET TO THE
S-CENTRAL AND SRN COAST AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...THEN THE PAKT
AREA TOWARD MORNING. THINK PRECIP SHOULD REMAIN W OF THE HYDER
AREA THRU SAT BUT A FEW SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES CANNOT BE RULED OUT
THERE ON SAT. THERE WILL BE A LULL IN THE PRECIP BEHIND THE FRONT
OVER THE NW THIRD OF THE AREA SAT...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO LOWER POPS
BELOW LIKELY AT THIS POINT. PRECIP WILL INCREASE OVER THE NRN AREA
AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON AS FRONT BEGINS TO HEAD BACK TO THE NW IN
THE AFTERNOON. RAINFALL WILL BE GENERALLY 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE
CENTRAL PANHANDLE THRU SAT...BUT CONSIDERABLE VARIATIONS OVER A
SHORT DISTANCE WILL OCCUR DUE TO TERRAIN INFLUENCES. THIS WILL
CAUSE THE SMALLER STREAMS TO RISE A DECENT AMOUNT BUT THEY ARE NOT
EXPECTED TO GET ABOVE BANKFULL LEVELS. FURTHER N...RAINFALL UP TO
1.5 INCHES IS EXPECTED THRU SAT...WITH SIMILAR AMOUNTS OVER THE
SRN COAST. PAKT AREA WILL PROBABLY SEE AROUND 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH
ON SAT.
PRECIP SHOULD BE ALL RAIN AT SEA LEVEL...WITH ONLY THE WRN PARTS
OF THE CHILKAT VALLEY AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS AROUND PAGY GETTING
SNOW OUT OF THIS SYSTEM. THE WRN CHILKAT VALLEY WILL START AS SNOW
THIS EVENING...BUT SHOULD CHANGE TO RAIN BY LATE SAT MORNING. SNOW
LEVELS AROUND PAGY WILL BE AROUND 1700 FEET TO START
TONIGHT...THEN RISE TO ABOUT 2500 FEET SAT. THINK THE WRN CHILKAT
VALLEY WILL GET 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW TONIGHT. WHITE PASS WILL SEE
LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW TONIGHT...THEN THIS WILL DIMINISH SOME SAT
MORNING BEFORE PICKING BACK UP TOWARD LATE AFTERNOON. DECIDED TO
KEEP THE WINTER STORM WARNING GOING FOR WHITE PASS THROUGH THE
SHORT TERM PERIOD...EVEN WITH THE DIMINISHING TREND SAT. THINK
AROUND 6 INCHES OF SNOW WILL FALL NEAR WHITE PASS TONIGHT...WITH
AROUND 4 INCHES FOR SAT.
STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. EXPECT GALE FORCE
S-SE WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT TONIGHT...WITH THIS AREA SHRINKING
IN AREAL COVERAGE TO THE SE GULF SAT MORNING. MOST INNER CHANNELS
WILL SEE WINDS PEAK AT SCA LEVELS...WITH SOME GALES FOR PARTS OF
STEPHENS PASSAGE SW OF DOUGLAS ISLAND...ERN FREDERICK SOUND...AND
CLARENCE STRAIT TONIGHT. STEPHENS PASSAGE SHOULD DROP BELOW GALES
LATE TONIGHT. WILL HAVE STRONG WIND HEADLINES FOR THE CENTRAL AND
SRN COASTAL AREAS FOR AT LEAST PART OF TONIGHT BEFORE WINDS DROP
OFF TOWARD LATE TONIGHT. THE SRN COAST WILL SEE LOCALLY STRONG
WINDS AGAIN LATER SAT MORNING AND AFTERNOON AS LOW PRESSURE WAVES
MOVE ALONG THE FRONT TO THEIR W.
LOOKS LIKE FAR WRN PARTS OF THE GULF MARINE WATERS WILL HAVE RISK
OF TSTMS LATE TONIGHT AND SAT MORNING AS SHORTWAVE PASSES THRU
THEM WITH COLD AIR ALOFT. THIS WILL DIMINISH LATER SAT AS WARMER
AIR ALOFT DIMINISHES INSTABILITY.
.LONG TERM...WET WEATHER AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE PATTERN
CONTINUES THROUGH THE EXTENDED RANGE BUT SOME INCREASED
UNCERTAINTY FOR THE START OF NEXT WEEK BETWEEN UPPER LEVEL
TROUGHS MOVING OVER THE REGION. THROUGH THE WEEKEND UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH OVER KODIAK MOVES EASTWARD WITH LONG FETCH OF MOISTURE ON
LEE SIDE. THIS WILL KEEP THE WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW POINTED AT THE
COASTAL AND CENTRAL PANHANDLE. FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL AGAIN MOVE
OVER THE PANHANDLE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY UNDER 500 MB VORT MAX WITH
RAINFALL RATES BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF. AS THIS 500 MB TROUGH
TRACKS TO THE NORTHEAST A SECOND CLOSED LOW WILL MOVES IN TOWARD
KODIAK FROM THE KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, BUT SYSTEM IN BETWEEN IN THE
QUESTION. INDICATIONS OF A WAVE MOVING UP THE WESTERN CONUS
COAST, THEN MERGE IN WITH THE SECOND KODIAK UPPER LEVEL LOW. AT
THE SURFACE IF THE PACIFIC LOW FORMS THEN IT CAN 1) BRING IN SOME
COLDER AIR FROM THE NORTH AND 2) WITH OFFSHORE FLOW PRODUCE A DRY
BREAK FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE. HOWEVER LARGE SPREAD
IN OPERATIONAL MODELS FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. WHILE MODEL SPREAD
INCREASES STILL EXPECTING A WARM AND WET PATTERN TO CONTINUE,
SORRY TO ALL SKIERS NO BIG SNOW EVENTS EXPECTED. MAY SEE SOME MIX
OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER THE LOCAL PEAKS BUT SNOW LEVELS STILL NEAR
THE PEAK TOPS. THE EXCEPTION BEING SNOW ALONG THE KLONDIKE
HIGHWAY WITH THE WINTER STORM WARNING LASTING UNTIL MIDDAY SUNDAY.
OVER THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG AS THE NEXT
WAVES MOVES SATURDAY NIGHT THEN DIMINISH SUNDAY, BUT QUICKLY PICK
UP AGAIN FOR THE ALL OF THE COASTAL WATERS BY MONDAY. GRADIENT FOR
THE FAR NORTHERN INNER CHANNELS WILL FLIP NORTH ON MONDAY WITH THE
ADVANCING SURFACE LOW BUT THEN SHIFT BACK. REST OF THE PANHANDLE
WILL STILL BE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST DUE TO GEOSTROPHIC FLOW AND
EITHER PARALLEL OR WEAK NORTHERLY GRADIENT. NEXT FLIP IN WINDS
WILL OCCUR MID WEEK WITH NEXT ADVANCING SYSTEM AND MORE
PRONOUNCED NORTHERLY GRADIENT. THIS IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME
POTENTIAL COOLER AIR MOVING IN, BUT AS MID AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS
STILL SOUTHERLY DO NOT EXPECT ANY ARCTIC AIR MOVING IN.
CONTINUED WITH A 12Z NAM/GFS BLEND TO LINK WITH SHORT TERM THEN
TRANSITIONED TO A GFS/ECMWF BLEND THROUGH MONDAY. NOT ENOUGH
CONFIDENCE TO PICK ONE MODEL WITH THE INDIVIDUAL WAVES. FOR MONDAY
ONWARD AS SPREAD IN OPERATIONAL MODELS BECOMES RATHER LARGE USED
WPC WHICH WAS A BLEND OF ENSEMBLES. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS
AVERAGE UNTIL MONDAY THEN DROPS.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...THE HEAVY RAIN BANDS WILL TRANSITION OVER TO THE
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PANHANDLE TONIGHT AND WITH THE FRONT STALLING
SATURDAY MORNING, THE HEAVIER RAIN WILL LINGER THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. AROUND 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED THROUGH MIDDAY
SUNDAY. WHILE RIVERS LEVELS WILL RISE IN RESPONSE TO THE HEAVY
RAIN NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...STRONG WIND UNTIL 3 AM AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ027.
STRONG WIND FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR
AKZ027.
STRONG WIND UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST TONIGHT FOR AKZ017-022.
STRONG WIND UNTIL 3 AM AKST SATURDAY FOR AKZ023.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON AKST SUNDAY FOR AKZ018.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR PKZ031-034-036-041>043-051.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ011>013-021-022-032-033-035-052-053.
&&
RWT/PRB
VISIT US AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JUNEAU2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Over a period from the evening of 11/27 to the afternoon of 11/29, the Klondike Highway got 3 FT of new snow, storm total. There was some snow in town but mitigated by rain. No damage reported. DOT conducted intense snow removal operations including at White Pass.
Haines Customs measured 12.5 inches storm total new snow for this event. No damage reported. DOT was very busy plowing snow off the Haines Highway.
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: 606968, 606971.