A gale force low produced widespread snow across Southeast Alaska. Winter storm snow amounts fell along the Icy Strait Corridor northward along with snow prone areas of the Southern Panhandle.
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 gale force low produced widespread snow across Southeast Alaska. Winter storm snow amounts fell along the Icy Strait Corridor northward along with snow prone areas of the Southern Panhandle.
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 1, 6:20 AM AKST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
620 AM AKST Tue Feb 1 2022
.SHORT TERM...Through the day on Tuesday the gale force front
pushes into the central gulf and begins to initiate overrunning of
moisture across the cold air dome entrenched across Southeast
Alaska. We expect light snow to begin sometime Tuesday, and
intensify through the evening and overnight hours. Warnings and
advisories begin before the most intense snowfall, because of the
tendency for overrunning processes to efficiently produce more
moderate to heavy snowfall quickly. Guidance also struggles with
onset with these types of events, so light snow is likely to begin
for the Outer Coast as early as Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday night,
our gale force front reaches the coast and stalls from the
northeast Gulf down to the southern Panhandle. This is the zone of
concern. Should northerly winds persist through the southern
Inner channels, Ketchikan and potentially parts of Prince of Wales
may receive more snow than forecast. Should the front stall north
of Ketchikan, this area will receive much less. So confidence is
such that we agreed to post winter weather advisories for zones
24/27/28 including Angoon, P.O.W. Island and Ketchikan. Sitka's
propensity to warm much more quickly and its higher thresholds for
advisory amounts will keep it out of winter hazard criteria.
Moisture profiles thicken dramatically overnight with omega values
maximized within the snow-growth zone from Petersburg/Wrangell
northwest to Juneau and to Yakutat; Thus, confidence is high for
an impactful snow event of 6 to 12 inches for much of this region.
The greatest snowfall totals should occur from Tuesday evening
through midday Wednesday with lighter amounts after that (see
Wednesday section below for the reasons why). Upper Lynn Canal
offers a curious case. As Haines generally over-performs during
overrunning events with indicated far less moisture, we purposely
include Haines in the warning, but confidence could be a tad lower
here, since models indicate more drying in this region. But the
cold air dome will be strongest here as we expect northerlies the
entire time.
We should note that Tuesday night winds and the way they behave
will be paramount to how the storm evolves. And we will need to
monitor trends as quickly as they can be identified to potentially
make major changes to forecasting trends. Today's ensembles did
come in a bit more on the colder side for much of the entire
Panhandle, thus, an update to the winter weather hazards may be
needed tomorrow.
Wednesday...As yesterday we had greater confidence of a
changeover to rain, we are NOW not so certain, across the north. A
stronger trough dividing the colder air from the warm air looks
to lift more slowly northward. While the colder air may be
preserved, drier air entrained into the region starting Wednesday
afternoon looks to shunt the snowfall and support a wintry mix
across the region. This will help keep snowfall totals down, even
as warnings extend beyond. The idea is that freezing drizzle may
become a potential hazard after the snow ends as lower cloud
decks, with temperatures below zero will fill with barely
ascending super- cooled water droplets. Should this occur, it can
only mean one thing: freezing drizzle--light liquid drops that
glaze over everything.
Thursday...a surge of warmer air enters the Panhandle and lifts
into Juneau, the rest of the coast, and the Icy Strait corridor.
Thus, we expect precipitation to become rain at sea level in all
but Upper Lynn Canal into Thursday night. Friday, Upper Lynn Canal
and Lynn Canal could finally turn southerly and allow rain even
into Haines/Skagway. Freezing levels with Thursday's system could
eclipse 5000 feet in the south with up to 1500 feet in the Juneau
region.
.LONG TERM...Friday Into Early Next Weekend...Ensembles and
models advertise a warmer, milder, and wetter pattern. Individual
ensemble members have the Panhandle effectively sitting ducks as
the Pacific launches atmospheric rivers from the Aleutians all the
way into the Canadian West Coast. To think that we dodge any of
them completely is foolhardy. With that information, though, we
cannot say for certain with any confidence when and where. But
expect periods of heavy rain, periods of breaks, and periods of
seasonably high mountain snow levels, and of course wind. High
winds cannot be ruled out in the upcoming active weather pattern.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Winter Storm Warning from 3 PM this afternoon to 3 AM AKST
Thursday for AKZ020>022-025-026.
Winter Weather Advisory from 3 PM this afternoon to noon AKST
Wednesday for AKZ027-028.
Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to noon AKST
Wednesday for AKZ024.
Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 6 AM AKST
Thursday for AKZ029.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST
Wednesday for AKZ019.
Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST
Wednesday for AKZ018.
Wind Chill Advisory until 9 AM AKST this morning for AKZ018.
Winter Storm Warning from noon today to 9 PM AKST Wednesday for
AKZ017.
MARINE...Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ012.
Gale Warning for PKZ041>043-051-052-310.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ012-021-022-031-033>036-053.
&&
JWA/CM
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
NWS employee in Yakutat reported 7 inches of snow at 8 am on February 2nd.
A trained spotter in Gustavus reported 6.5 inches of snow at 6:35 am on February 2nd.
The Cooperative Observer in Hoonah reported 5.5 inches of snow at 8 am on February 2nd.
The Cooperative Observer in Pelican Reported 8.2 inches of new snow at 7 am on February 2nd.
A Trained spotter reported 8 inches of new snow in the Juneau Borough at 7:30 am on February 2nd.
A trained spotter in Petersburg reported 9 inches of snow at 9:30 am on February 2nd.
Little Port Walter Cooperative Observer reported 13.6 inches of new snow at 9 am on February 2nd.
A trained spotter in Haines reported 6.5 inches of snow at 9 am February 2nd.
A measured report of 8.5 inches of new snow by the Alaska Department of Transportation in Gustavus. 14 inches total with compaction from this storm.
Juneau Cooperative Observer reported 7.8 inches of snowfall.
Drive BC observation at the US Canada border reported 17 inches of fresh snowfall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2022
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: 1011125, 1011137, 1011141, 1011142, 1011155, 1011158, 1011159, 1011129, 1011637, 1011638, 1011162.