A strong storm center dominated the Gulf of Alaska on the afternoon of 1/13. Warm air rising over the cold air near the Klondike Highway resulted in heavy snow.
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 storm center dominated the Gulf of Alaska on the afternoon of 1/13. Warm air rising over the cold air near the Klondike Highway resulted in heavy snow. Impact was snow removal, road closure, and increased avalanche danger.
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 Jan 13, 3:45 PM AKST, 15 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
345 PM AKST Sat Jan 13 2018
.SHORT TERM...During the transition from snow to rain today, there
was a bit of a lag with the cold air at the surface and warmer air
aloft resulting in freezing rain over many areas around the
Panhandle between Sumner Strait and the Icy Strait corridor.
Freezing will end from south to north and will move up to Haines,
especially along the highway by this evening.
The atmospheric river that is approaching and is showing no signs
of letting up. It will affect the entire Panhandle but Yakutat
will take the brunt of the force. Heaviest rainfall will begin
late this afternoon/early evening with 3 hourly amounts of 1/3 of
an inch or more north of Icy Strait, extending inland to Juneau.
Yakutat could see up to half an inch every 3 hours starting this
evening through early Sunday morning. Rainfall rates will be on
the decline through the day Sunday as the heaviest rainfall shifts
to the west of Yakutat. Wet conditions will continue for the
northern half of the Panhandle into Monday.
The incoming front is also bringing strong winds to the outer
coastal areas, this afternoon into Sunday. Storm force winds are
blowing in Cross Sound, diminishing to Gale force this evening.
Strong winds will work their way inland into Juneau and Ketchikan
late this evening.
NAM was used for updating along with manual forecaster
adjustments. Overall, the forecast is staying on script with just
a few adjustments for timing as the front is moving slightly
slower and the temperatures are warming slower. The temperature
delay is a duo effect of a stubborn cold layer at the surface and
winds that failed to develop on time. Even with these changes,
the end of the story will end the same with the snow being washed
away and mild weather encompassing SE Alaska to start out the new
work week.
.LONG TERM.../Monday through Friday/ The early part of the long-
term period will start off as warm and wet, before transitioning
to a warmer, drier pattern during mid-week. As a strong
atmospheric river wraps up, there is consensus for a low tracking
northward through the Gulf late Sunday into Monday. This
undercutting low will lead to offshore flow and help to dry out
the panhandle.
Additionally, most of the long-term focus yesterday evening was
shifted to the short-term due to an active frontal passage and
ongoing snow/ precipitation issues. As a result, no major changes
were made and models still give a general idea of this next
system.
The weakening of the ridge over western Canada during the early
part of the period will allow for temperatures to remain above
average and decrease through the extended period as intermittent
amounts of shortwave energy are injected into the overall pattern.
This will bring persistent rounds of heavy precipitation across
the panhandle and gusty winds later into the week. Winds over the
inner channels will remain relatively light during the early part
of the period due to the parallel pressure gradient.
POP and QPF were blended with the NAM and EC to better show the
clearing precipitation to the west of Yakutat. Temperatures were
increased Sunday into Monday to reflect the occurrence of warm air
advection, but minimal adjustments throughout the week and
remain within guidance.
Model spread increases gradually later on in the period, but with
some evidence of another low pressure system tracking from the
eastern Aleutians through the Gulf into Thursday. However, confidence
remains moderate for the timing of the next low into Monday.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind through late tonight for AKZ027.
Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM AKST this afternoon for
AKZ025.
Strong Wind through late tonight for AKZ023.
Winter Weather Advisory until midnight AKST tonight for AKZ029.
Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM AKST Sunday for AKZ019.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 PM this afternoon to 5 AM AKST
Sunday for AKZ018.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ052.
Gale Warning for PKZ022-036-041>043-051.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ012-013-021-031>035.
Small Craft Advisory due to Seas for PKZ053.
&&
KV/SS
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
133 PM AKST SAT JAN 13 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM SNOW 13 N KETCHIKAN 55.53N 131.65W
01/12/2018 M1.4 INCH AK CO-OP OBSERVER
1112 AM SNOW 3 S PETERSBURG 56.73N 132.86W
01/13/2018 M2.7 INCH AK CO-OP OBSERVER
FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 24 HOUR SNOWFALL OF 2.7 INCHES
WITH WATER EQUIVALENT OF 0.20 INCHES.
1158 AM SNOW DOUGLAS 58.27N 134.40W
01/13/2018 E4.5 INCH AK NWS EMPLOYEE
SNOWFALL WAS 4.5 INCHES FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 THROUGH
10 AM SATURDAY JANUARY 13, 2018.
1158 AM SNOW 12 NNE JUNEAU 58.55N 134.01W
01/13/2018 M5.7 INCH AK OFFICIAL NWS OBS
JUNEAU WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE SNOWFALL FRIDAY JANUARY
12, 2018 THROUGH 1100 AM SATURDAY JANUARY 13, 2018 WAS
5.7 INCHES.
1158 AM SNOW 10 N JUNEAU 58.53N 134.13W
01/13/2018 M4.8 INCH AK OFFICIAL NWS OBS
JUNEAU AIRPORT MEASURED 4.8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON FRIDAY
JANUARY 12, 2018.
1158 AM SNOW 2 W JUNEAU 58.39N 134.19W
01/13/2018 E3.4 INCH AK NWS EMPLOYEE
WEST JUNEAU 3.4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL STORM TOTAL FROM
FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2018 THROUGH 6 AM SATURDAY JANUARY 13,
2018.
&&
BMARTIN1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Alaska DOT observed 7 inches of new snow from State Street to Milepost 14 as of 9:38 AM (1/13) on 511 website. The pass was a real mess. Impact was snow removal, road closure, and increased avalanche potential. Temperatures warmed making snow removal challenging.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2018
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: 733215.