Modified arctic air had moved over the Panhandle on 1/9 and 1/10 due to offshore flow from colder regions in Canada. Some temperatures had lowered to zero to +10F.
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.
Modified arctic air had moved over the Panhandle on 1/9 and 1/10 due to offshore flow from colder regions in Canada. Some temperatures had lowered to zero to +10F. On 1/10 there was a burst of warm moist air that moved over the Panhandle from the south causing numerous winter weather advisories to be issued. Warnings were issued for both the Juneau and Hyder areas due to heavy snow. Impacts: intense snow removal, poor driving conditions, and travel disrupted. The Juneau School District closed schools.
Details: Bands of snow set up over the central panhandle with the core over Juneau over an extended period of time. Outside of Juneau bands caused heavy snow in Gustavus, Hoonah, Tenakee Springs and Angoon. Prior to the snow reaching the central panhandle, snow fell across the south, changing to rain in Ketchikan and Hydaburg on time, but lasting longer over from Coffman Cove to Edna Bay north. The main low center remained over the far SE gulf/SW of Sitka. This caused NELY flow through inside passages including Klawock/Angoon and down Chatham Strait which kept surface temperatures colder longer, even through temperatures aloft were warming. The prolonged NE flow kept Angoon as below freezing until about noon Friday the 11th, at this time the low was moving inland and weakening. The wind shifted for Angoon enough to change to rain, but remained cold enough for snow to continue in the Juneau area through 4pm Friday. However, during the day Friday the flakes became more icy or pellets, which caused the light fluffy snow that had fallen all day Thursday to compact down significantly and limit additional depth - altough observers in Angoon and Hoonah noting still needing to clear a lot of snow off their vehicles multiple times.
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 10, 5:55 AM AKST, 6 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
555 AM AKST Thu Jan 10 2019
.SHORT TERM.../Through Friday night/ Split flow with confluent
zone across the far N panhandle and S Yukon will continue through
tonight, then northern stream trof will lift NE of the area during
Fri and Fri night. Several southern stream shortwaves will move N
across the area through Fri. Models in fair agreement on this
scenario, although NAM appeared to be too slow to return precip N
today.
Made some adjustments to WWA headlines. Given that zone 25 will
remain in a good overrunning situation with some frontogenetic
enhancement to precip, have upgraded to a winter storm warning.
Think the cold air will hang tough as low level northerly flow
will keep lowest levels cold enough to remain snow through at
least Fri afternoon in the Juneau area. Have also upgraded zone 29
to a warning as they will be in heavier precip rates while low
level flow remains blocked, maintaining a deep isothermal layer
near Hyder through at least Fri afternoon. Issued winter weather
advisories for zone 21 and 24, and extended zone 26 out to 21z
today. Think precip will transition to rain in 26 by late morning
or early afternoon, then transition in zone 24 by late this
afternoon or early this evening. Areas further S should remain all
rain through the period. Have lighter snowfall for zones 18, 19,
20, and 22, with 20 and 22 just remaining below advisory levels.
If the main snow band over the N does shift only slightly NW of
current forecast, zones 20 and 22 would likely need winter weather
advisories.
Strong northerly winds will very slowly decrease through Fri over
the N half of the area. Think gale force winds over much of the N
will drop to SCA levels tonight. Still cold and windy enough near
White pass to keep wind chill advisory going until 18z today.
Locally heavy freezing spray over the N will decrease in intensity
as winds decrease and temps warm slowly.
Looks like the Yakutat area will stay out of the precip from the
systems to their SE. However, upper trof digging over the N gulf
will increase snow threat tonight into Fri morning, although the
most snow may stay to their W. Do not see more than a couple of
inches of snow in Yakutat through Fri.
.LONG TERM.../Saturday through Wednesday/...Warmer air will move N
during the weekend as upper ridge builds over W Canada and trof
moves into the eastern Aleutians and AKPEN area. More shortwaves
and occluded fronts will move NE across SE AK during the weekend
into early next week, keeping mild and wet weather going. Models
hint that flow aloft will become more SE by midweek, which would
diminish the precip threat, especially over the N and E areas.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Winter Weather Advisory until noon AKST today for AKZ026.
Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM AKST this evening for AKZ024.
Winter Storm Warning from noon today to 4 PM AKST Friday for
AKZ025.
Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 9 AM AKST Friday for
AKZ021.
Wind Chill Advisory until 9 AM AKST this morning for AKZ018.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 PM AKST Friday for AKZ029.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ013.
Gale Warning for PKZ012-031-032-034.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-021-022-033-035-036-041-042.
Small Craft Advisory due to Seas for PKZ043-051.
&&
RWT
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
1107 AM AKST THU JAN 10 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0453 AM SNOW PETERSBURG 56.77N 132.86W
01/10/2019 M5.5 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
5.5 INCHES BETWEEN 5 PM WEDNESDAY AND 4 AM THURSDAY. 10
INCHES ON THE GROUND. CURRENTLY SNOWING AND 29 DEGREES.
0700 AM SNOW EDNA BAY 55.95N 133.65W
01/10/2019 M6.8 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
6.8 INCHES FOR A STORM TOTAL. SNOW CHANGED TO RAIN WED
EVENING.
0930 AM SNOW PETERSBURG 56.77N 132.86W
01/10/2019 E10.0 INCH AK PUBLIC
SECOND HAND REPORT OF 10 INCHES IN PETERSBURG.
0930 AM SNOW 14 S PETERSBURG 56.57N 132.86W
01/10/2019 E12.0 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
12 INCHES ON SOUTHERN MITKOF ISLAND.
1000 AM SNOW PETERSBURG 56.77N 132.86W
01/10/2019 M10.5 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
AT PETERSBURG AIRPORT.
1000 AM NON-TSTM WND GST HYDER 55.98N 130.06W
01/10/2019 M5.00 MPH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
1000 AM SNOW WRANGELL 56.36N 132.27W
01/10/2019 M7.0 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
STORM TOTAL AT WRANGELL AIRPORT. CURRENTLY CHANGING TO
RAIN.
&&
EALPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK
1111 AM AKST THU JAN 10 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 AM SNOW HYDER 55.98N 130.06W
01/10/2019 M5.0 INCH AK TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EAL3 winter storm, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm total snow for the Juneau area, 1/10 to 1/12 was 11 to 17 inches. Outlying areas may have gotten up to 20 inches in this storm. Impact was intense snow removal. Driving conditions were impassable in some instance. Public schools were closed in Juneau on 1/11.
Storm total snow for Angoon was 13 inches in 24 hours ending 1600 on 1/11.
Hoonah observed a storm total 13 inches as of 1/11. Tenakee Springs had 6 to 8 inches storm total snowfall. Impact was intense snow removal and poor travel conditions.
Petersburg had a storm total 12 inches. Wrangell had a storm total 7 inches then turned to rain. Impact was intense snow removal and poor travel conditions.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2019
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: 793083, 793086, 793110, 793111.