Winter Storm in Alaska, February 10, 2020

Name: Winter Storm in Alaska, February 10, 2020
Start: 2020-02-10T09:00
End: 2020-02-10T23:00
Location: Alaska

February 10, 2020 · NWS AJK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong upper trough provided ample lift with strong moisture transport in the low to mid-levels for heavy snowfall above 2500 feet on the Klondike highway. Increasing pressure gradients due to pressure falls in the Yukon caused gusty winds at White Pass.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS AJK wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 10, 5:45 AM AKST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 5:45 AM AKST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
545 AM AKST Mon Feb 10 2020

.SHORT TERM...Through Tuesday...Satellite imagery and surface
analysis depict deepening low pressure over the SW gulf/NE Pac.
Models in good agreement with this low deepening to gale force
and tracking NE towards SE AK Mon before moving into N BC Mon
night. This will result in increased winds with gales developing
over the gulf and N inner channels today, then diminish this
evening and late tonight as the low moves further inland. Ample
moisture available with this system with modeled IVTs ranging
between 250-400 kg/m/s. Expect widespread precip totals around 1.5
inches with localized amounts over 2.5 inches. Strong WAA with
this system will result in snow levels rising to around 2500 ft
today. This means ptype will be liquid for majority of AOR with
the exception of White Pass. Expect up to 10 inches of heavy, wet
snow with this system and a WSW remains in effect through this
evening. High pressure builds into YT/N BC allowing arctic air to
advect into the N panhandle Tue. This northerly pattern will be
short lived as the next system approaches overnight into Wed.
Strongest CAA should be limited to the N panhandle, with near
steady/gradually falling temps Tue under partly cloudy skies.

.LONG TERM.../ Wednesday through Monday as of 10 pm Sunday /
Strong low will be located over the western Gulf early Wednesday.
Associated occluded front will extend eastward across the northern
Gulf and then southeastward along the west coast of the Panhandle.
Some continental air will be in place over the northern Panhandle
Wednesday. Strengthening moisture transport over the continental
air in place will lead to an overrunning snow event for a portion
of the northern Panhandle Wednesday. Attempted to put in some
forecast detail for this event as models have come into a bit
better agreement on the overall synoptic pattern. At this point it
looks like a general 3 to 6 inch snowfall for areas along and
north of Icy Strait including Juneau before thicknesses warm
enough for rain to mix in south of the Haines/Skagway area. Later
shifts can fine tune the details.

EC and NAEFS ensembles are now in a bit better agreement for the
late week and weekend time frame in that yet another deep and cold
trough will develop over the interior of Alaska with a strong
undercutting Pacific jet. This is quite reminiscent of the pattern
that dominated the last half of January and led to several rounds
of stormy conditions with periods of heavy rain and snow. Split
flow regime will make individual storms quite hard to pin down.
Exact position of the main baroclinic zone between the developing
very cold airmass over the interior and mild Pacific air will also
play havoc with the rain/snow line as periodic shots of arctic
air across the Gulf will precede each storm approaching from the
southern stream. Overall confidence is high that precipitation
will be widespread through the remainder of the extended forecast
but much lower in all other details.

&&

.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind from noon AKST today through this afternoon for
     AKZ019-025.
     Winter Storm Warning until 9 PM AKST this evening for AKZ018.
     Strong Wind from 9 AM AKST this morning through this evening for
     AKZ018.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ012-013-022-041>043-051-052.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ021-031>036-053.

&&

BC/DEL

Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway

When: February 10, 9:00 AM AKST to 11:00 PM AKST
Where: Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways

State DOT reported that Klondike Highway had received 6 inches of snow from milepost 12 to the border by 330 pm. Heavy snow continued to 9 pm based on webcam images at the border near White Pass. Wind gusts to 27mph occurred at White Pass during the heavy snow as well. DOT also closed the Highway the morning of the 11th to be able to clear the road for travel.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2020

Sources

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: 873476.