Beginning on leap day, a strong front moved onshore with heavy snow and blowing snow for Yakutat and White Pass. As winds shifted to the south, high winds occurred in Skagway through the morning of the 2nd.
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.
Beginning on leap day, a strong front moved onshore with heavy snow and blowing snow for Yakutat and White Pass. As winds shifted to the south, high winds occurred in Skagway through the morning of the 2nd.
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 29, 3:03 PM AKST, 8 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
303 PM AKST Sat Feb 29 2020
.SHORT TERM...Front moving across the gulf and into Southeast
Alaska tonight and Sunday. Northeast gulf coast will have an east
to northeast flow as front approaches so colder air should be
maintained for much of the overnight time frame, combined with
with the heavier rate, the snow will pull down some cooler air
too. Event may start with the potential of freezing drizzle until
the main snow starts up.
Juneau and Haines area ended up with Winter Weather advisories for
the lighter amounts, although the weather profile similar to the
outer coast so the threat of starting out with freezing precip
could happen first. The temperatures may be little more borderline
for the Juneau area, and should warm once the winds pick up,
Saturday night.
Southerly winds will start to blow through the canal and increases
topping out Sunday afternoon with gusts around 60 mph in Skagway.
The the snow and wind has prompted a blizzard warning for the
higher elevations of the Klondike Highway.
Change over on all of the snow events is expected to be abrupt,
with a quick warming and change over to rain in short period of
time. Rain on the new snow pack could lead to issues in snow
removal.
Event winding down late Sunday and southwest onshore flow keeping
shower activity prevalent for the panhandle area on Monday.
Showers for the outer coast likely rain to a mix.
.LONG TERM.../Monday through Friday night/ As of Friday evening.
Extended period begins with a front impacting the region on
Monday. A cooling trend begins with passage of this front where
subtle declines in the daytime highs and night time lows will
create some issues with the forecast precip type through much of
the week. While persistent onshore flow will keep the atmosphere
juicy, we will see several days this upcoming week where rain can
be expected for most areas during the day and switching over to
snow or at least a mix for a good portion of the central and
northern panhandle.
Mid-week, a low will begin a westerly track through the Gulf,
eventually moving by to the south of the region. This should shift
the flow around and bring in a noticeable drop in the
temperatures beginning Thursday. This drop will mainly be felt in
the north where temps as far south as Angoon will remain below
freezing through the end of the forecast period.
Winds begin in the forecast period with a gale force low in the
Gulf that will begin to have a lessening impact after the front
passes. After that, winds become more or less inconsequential,
save for chances for small craft advisories in the coastal waters,
for a few days. Winds begin to become more of an issue as the mid
to late week low begins to deepen, creating a rather strong
pressure gradient.
&&
.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind Sunday morning for AKZ025-027.
Strong Wind Sunday morning for AKZ024.
Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 10 AM AKST
Sunday for AKZ019-025.
Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
AKZ022-023.
Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
AKZ028.
Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
AKZ019.
Strong Wind from midnight AKST tonight through Sunday afternoon
for AKZ018.
Blizzard Warning from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST Sunday for
AKZ018.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 7 AM AKST Sunday
for AKZ017.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ012-013-022-031>033-036-042-043-051-052.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-021-034-035-041-053.
&&
Bezenek/JDR
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau1 heavy snow, 1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell over Yakutat along with strong wind gusts up to 37 mph and visibility reduced to a mile and a quarter. At 7 am on the 1st, a trained spotter measured 9 inches of snow falling since 7pm on Feb 29th, but had already changed to rain at their location.
White Pass RWIS station measured gusts over 35mph since 840pm on Feb. 29th, including a peak gust of 53mph at 11pm. Heavy snow began around midnight. DOT reported visibility down to a quarter mile during the morning of the 1st and improved by 330pm when the snow ended.
Marine Exchange sensor at the Skagway Harbor measured peak gusts over 60mph out of the south periodically throughout the 1st and into the 2nd. The highest gust measured was 70mph at 1043am on the 1st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 2020
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: 874003, 874005, 874015.