The strong pressure gradient in Skagway continued to created high wind conditions coming across the border from the interior of Canada.
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.
The strong pressure gradient in Skagway continued to created high wind conditions coming across the border from the interior of Canada.
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 5, 6:17 AM AKST, 4 hours 48 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
617 AM AKST Wed Jan 5 2022
.SHORT TERM...Cold arctic high pressure over northwest Canada
persists into Thursday. This part of the forecast remains stable
and minimal changes to the forecast was required. Tight pressure
gradient has gusty winds over the northern inner channels, and
even a minor mountain wave for Juneau, although it seems that the
strongest winds is more of a gap flow issue near interior passes
and rivers into British Columbia.
Clear skies can be found across much of the panhandle, while out
over the gulf the cold air if forming clouds that are streaming
west. Expect this to continue through Thursday.
Minimum temperatures are ranging from -20 to 20 this morning.
Depending on whether the locations where wind sheltered, and
overall a slight warm area for the southern panhandle. Tonight
appears to be one last of the very cold temperature nights. Where
the wind sheltered locations will allow the below zero
temperatures to be occur one more night. Wind on these edges of
the zones will keep the colder wind chill advisories ongoing for
northern and central inner channels.
.LONG TERM...(Thursday onwards) Much below-average temperatures
and then a pattern change to a rapid warm-up with heavy
precipitation and strong coastal winds is the story for the long-
term forecast.
Cold and dry conditions should persist through Thursday and Friday
morning with a risk of much below normal temperatures. Strong
winds remain in Northern Lynn through the long term, resulting in
heavy freezing spray and wind chill advisories. For active wind
chill advisories and more details, please see winter products.
A weak wave may push into the southern panhandle Friday ahead of
the main system resulting in up to 3 inches of snowfall. Due to
the nature of snow showers, more or less is possible with breaks
in between bands of snowfall.
A winter storm / atmospheric river is being watched for the
upcoming weekend. A 500-hPa trough develops, the gulf storm track
switches from coming from the NW to coming from the S, and
enhanced onshore flow brings warm, moist air into the region. Given
the antecedent cold temperatures well established before this
onset of onshore flow, there is an increased risk of heavy
snowfall at the start of the system before areas change to heavy
rain due to the warming with this system. Timing of the change
over to rain is as early as Saturday afternoon for the south,
while the north will likely change over some time Sunday. There
is average confidence that this system may be accompanied by heavy
moisture and warm air, but below average confidence on how far
north the warming will reach. There is a slight change for high
winds in Sitka, Craig, and surrounding areas as the system
approaches.
Model guidance is variable with placement and strength of the
plume of moisture with the GFS showing the plume pointing towards
Cordova, while the EC is pointing the plume more towards the
central of the panhandle. Depending on which track occurs will
have a large impact on when/if the snow will change to rain and a
significant impact on snowfall totals.
There are also indications of continued southerly flow, weaker
systems with moderate precipitation, and warming into next week
with an extended period of above-freezing temperatures for most
areas possible by mid next week (highs possibly reaching 40 with
low at or just below freezing). Strong winds along the outer coast
are possible as each wave moves into the Gulf through next week.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Wind Chill Advisory until 9 AM AKST this morning for AKZ026.
Strong Wind through late tonight for AKZ025.
Wind Chill Advisory until 6 AM AKST Thursday for AKZ018>021-025.
MARINE...Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ012-013-031.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ011.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ011.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ011.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ021-032.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ033.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ035.
Gale Warning for PKZ012-013.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ022-031-035-041>043-051-052.
&&
Bezenek/KRT
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Skagway airport reported wind gusts in excess of 50 mph through the overnight hours with a peak gust of 64 mph reported at 03:59 am on January 6th.
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, January 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: 1005129.