A warm front moving up from the south moved over the Northern Lynn Canal driving warm moist air over cold air at the surface. This cause brief heavy snows for both the Klondike & Haines Highways.
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 warm front moving up from the south moved over the Northern Lynn Canal driving warm moist air over cold air at the surface. This cause brief heavy snows for both the Klondike & Haines Highways. No damage was reported but snow clearing operations by DOT was intense.
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 Feb 24, 4:02 PM AKST, 6 hours 47 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
402 PM AKST WED FEB 24 2016
.SHORT TERM...A WEATHER FRONT IS APPROACHING THE OUTER COAST FROM
THE SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND RADAR HAS BEEN INDICATING HEAVIER
BANDS OF STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION ALL DAY. AS OF THIS AFTERNOON,
RAIN WAS OCCURRING ALONG THE ENTIRE OUTER COAST. FARTHER INLAND,
RAIN FROM THE PREVIOUS FRONT HAS BEEN FAIRLY STEADY IN HOONAH AND
JUNEAU. FARTHER NORTH, SNOW IN HAINES FINALLY GAVE WAY TO RAIN BY
MID AFTERNOON DUE TO TEMPERATURES BEING VERY SLOW TO RISE
SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE FREEZING. RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INLAND
THROUGH THE EVENING.
A WAVE DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO THE SOUTH WILL
AUGMENT THE FRONT WITH ADDITIONAL MOISTURE AND UPPER LEVEL ENERGY,
CAUSING RAIN RATES TO INCREASE LATE TONIGHT WITH THE HEAVIEST
RAINFALL WEST OF YAKUTAT, OVER GLACIER BAY AND OVER SOUTHERN
PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND. MODEST INCREASE IN THE JUNEAU AREA
EXPECTED AS WELL, BUT DO NOT THINK RAIN WILL BECOME HEAVY AT
TIMES OVERNIGHT IN THE CAPITAL.
LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION FROM THE SOUTH CONTINUES AND THE SNOW
LEVEL IS SUFFICIENTLY FAR ENOUGH NORTH THAT THE ONLY CONCERN ABOUT
SNOW VERSUS RAIN IS IN HAINES. DIURNAL TEMPERATURE SPREAD THERE IS
NOT VERY MUCH AT ALL AND THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE CAN EASILY
SUPPORT EITHER ACCUMULATING SNOW OR RAIN - DEPENDING ON LOW LEVEL
DYNAMICS, SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT FLUCTUATIONS, AND THE
DIRECTION OF THE SURFACE WINDS. SAME GOES FOR THE HAINES HIGHWAY.
AFTERNOON SHORT TERM FORECAST REFLECTS RAIN RATHER THAN SNOW.
ELSEWHERE OVER THE FAR NORTHERN INNER CHANNELS, RAIN FOR SKAGWAY
AND UP TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE KLONDIKE HIGHWAY NEAR WHITE
PASS BETWEEN LATE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NOON BEFORE THE SNOW LEVEL
RISES ABOVE WHITE PASS.
TODAY/TONIGHT'S FRONT IS A LITTLE LESS ENERGETIC THAN YESTERDAYS.
STILL, HAVE SOUTHEASTERLY GALES OVER THE EASTERN GULF - 40 KTS
DIMINISHING TO SMALL CRAFT INTENSITY FOR 3 TO 6 HOURS TOMORROW
BEFORE THE NEXT FRONT CRANKS WIND SPEEDS UP AGAIN TO SOUTHEASTERLY
AT 40 KTS AGAIN BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. ON THE INSIDE, GALES OVER
CROSS SOUND AND CLARENCE STRAIT. ELSEWHERE ON THE INSIDE, SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORIES FOR REMAINING INNER CHANNELS EXCEPT GLACIER BAY
AND LYNN CANAL.
WITH THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT TO THE SOUTHERN OUTER
COAST, HAVE STRONG WIND HEADLINES FOR ZONE 27 TONIGHT. THERE WILL
BE A BRIEF BREAK BETWEEN FRONTS TOMORROW MORNING, BUT STRONG WIND
HEADLINES RE-APPEAR FOR Z27 TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
MINOR CHANGES TO GRIDS TODAY AS THE OVERNIGHT FORECAST IS STILL ON
TRACK. OVERALL FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS AVERAGE.
.LONG TERM...A NEW LOW PRESSURE CENTER WILL MOVE NORTHWARD INTO
THE SOUTH-CENTRAL GULF THURS EVENING. AS DISCUSSED ABOVE THIS WILL
INCREASE WINDS BACK UP TO GALE FORCE 35-45KT OVER THE OUTSIDE
WATERS AND FOR SOME OF THE INNER CHANNELS NEAR THE OCEAN ENTRANCE.
THE ADJACENT LAND AREAS WILL SEE WIND GUSTS OF 40-45MPH ALONG THE
FRONT THURS EVENING WITH RAINFALL RATES BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES.
BY FRIDAY MORNING THE LOW CENTER WILL BE EAST OF KODIAK ISLAND
WITH THE FRONTAL BAND FULLY OVER THE PANHANDLE WITH RAIN AND WINDS
SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH THROUGH THE NORTHERN INNER CHANNELS. RAIN
WILL TRANSITION TO SHOWERS AT THIS POINT AND DIMINISH THROUGH
FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE GULF
FROM THE SOUTH AND CAUSES A PERIOD OF OFFSHORE FLOW. SATURDAY WILL
THEREFORE START OFF WITH SUNNY BREAKS...BUT WITH RAIN MOVING IN
AGAIN THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS LOW/FRONT WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND
OF GALES TO THE OUTSIDE WATERS STARTING SAT AND NEARBY COASTAL
AREAS THRU THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. BEHIND THIS FRONT PRECIP WILL
TRANSITION BACK TO SHOWERS WITH SOME BREAKS ON MONDAY INTO TUES.
LATEST MODELS WERE ON TRACK WITH THE GOING FORECAST SO ONLY MINOR
ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE FOR THIS UPDATE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS
ABOVE AVERAGE.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...STRONG WIND THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR AKZ027.
STRONG WIND THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR AKZ027.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR PKZ022-036-041>043-051-052.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ021-031>035-053.
&&
FRITSCH/FERRIN
VISIT US AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JUNEAUSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK 450 PM AKST WED FEB 24 2016 AKZ017>029-251600- CAPE FAIRWEATHER TO CAPE SUCKLING COASTAL AREA- TAIYA INLET AND KLONDIKE HIGHWAY-HAINES BOROUGH AND LYNN CANAL- GLACIER BAY-EASTERN CHICHAGOF ISLAND- SALISBURY SOUND TO CAPE FAIRWEATHER COASTAL AREA- CAPE DECISION TO SALISBURY SOUND COASTAL AREA- EASTERN BARANOF ISLAND AND SOUTHERN ADMIRALTY ISLAND- JUNEAU BOROUGH AND NORTHERN ADMIRALTY ISLAND- INNER CHANNELS FROM KUPREANOF ISLAND TO ETOLIN ISLAND- DIXON ENTRANCE TO CAPE DECISION COASTAL AREA- SOUTHERN INNER CHANNELS-MISTY FJORDS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...YAKUTAT...SKAGWAY...HAINES...GUSTAVUS... HOONAH...ELFIN COVE...PELICAN...SITKA...PORT ALEXANDER...ANGOON... JUNEAU...PETERSBURG...WRANGELL...KAKE...CRAIG...KLAWOCK... KETCHIKAN...METLAKATLA...HYDER 450 PM AKST WED FEB 24 2016 ...SOUTHEAST ALASKA RIVERS AND STREAMS TO EXPERIENCE RISES THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING... A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL THROUGHOUT SOUTHEAST ALASKA THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. WHILE RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING LOW...WATER LEVELS WILL BEGIN TO RISE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME...NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL RATES WILL INCREASE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. ON THURSDAY THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. BY THURSDAY NIGHT...MOST PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA WILL EXPERIENCE PERIODS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL BEFORE DIMINISHING FRIDAY.
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Haines Customs measured 12 inches of new snowfall overnight. No damage was reported but DOT had to clear a lot of snow from the Haines Highway. Downtown Haines only got 2-3 inches.
Andy Dietrich called again around 1100 and reported the storm total snowfall of 9.7 inches near Moore Creek Bridge. AKDOT reported 5 in of new snow from mile 12 to the border on the Klondike Highway as of 745 AM Thursday and still snowing.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2016
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: 617495, 617496.