Low pressure moved into the southern Panhandle from the SW on the 28th bringing in some moderate to heavy precipitation. The Hyder area near the southern border with Canada kept northerly flow and temperatures cold enough for snow until the following morning.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Low pressure moved into the southern Panhandle from the SW on the 28th bringing in some moderate to heavy precipitation. The Hyder area near the southern border with Canada kept northerly flow and temperatures cold enough for snow until the following morning.
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 28, 5:39 AM AKST, 5 hours 21 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
539 AM AKST Tue Jan 28 2025
.SHORT TERM.../Through Tonight/...As the front has been moving
out, showers have become more scattered in nature during the
evening and through the overnight hours. The next low moves into
the southern Panhandle from the SW today, with the low moving
overhead later this evening. This system brings in some moderate
to heavy rainfall for the southern zones while central and
northern locations shift to northerly flow, bringing in a colder
airmass with any precipitation falling as a rain/snow mix or all
snow. But, with the low to the south, most precipitation will
generally be for points from Frederick Sound, southward. Snow
accumulations of between 1 and 4 inches for sea level locations
with the exception of Hyder where totals upwards of around 13
inches over 24 hours are likely. Overland winds have been
dropping-off from yesterday evening through the overnight hours
with the current front moving out of the area. As the stronger
winds for the far northern Panhandle continue to subside, it will
be the south's turn for breezy conditions as the SE Gulf low moves
in for later today through tonight.
.LONG TERM...Several incoming systems through mid to late week,
followed by clear skies and very cold temperatures.
Wednesday will see a brief lull in precipitation with the Tuesday
system moving into Canada. A broad ridge looks to set up over the
entirety of Alaska, bringing in colder temperatures aloft.
Northwesterly flow near Prince William Sound looks to interact
with with the remaining warm temperatures near the surface to spin
up a weak surface low around the Yakutat area. With 850 mb
temperatures dropping to below -10 C, with southerly moisture
transport of around 15-20 knots, it will be sufficient for banded
snow set up around the Icy Strait Corridor area. With the cold air
advection aloft, there looks to be ideal snow growth in the
dendritic growth zone, it is just a question of how much available
moisture is present. Current 25th-75th percentiles for QPF around
the Icy Strait Corridor hovers around 0.04-0.13 inches per 3 hours,
with high snow ratios of around 15:1 would translate into around
5-8 inches of snow over 12 hours. Given the potential, a winter
storm watch was issued for Pelican to Juneau.
Beyond, stronger cold air advection will push the weak low south,
sapping any remaining moisture with very dry air. 850 mb
temperatures near White Pass look to drop below -25 C with a high
pressure in the Yukon exceeding 1050 mb. Gales to severe gales are
expected for Lynn Canal, parts of Glacier Bay, Taku Inlet, and
possibly parts of Yakutat Bay in the upper arms. Temperatures
look to descend to below zero for the northern half of the
panhandle during the overnight hours of Saturday and Sunday.
&&
.AVIATION.../Until 12Z Wednesday/...Two separate weather regimes
through the day, with the day starting out with VFR/MVFR
conditions for the N panhandle and MVFR to IFR conditions for the
S. TAF sites will be in flux across the southern panhandle through
day, with highly variable ceilings and visibility as a wave of
moisture moves through the area. Chances of precip will diminish
across the N half of the area through the day, with only some
residual snow/rain showers left by late Tuesday/Tuesday night for
areas N of Angoon. More waves moving through the area Wednesday
and Thursday will result in sharply diminished visibilities and
ceilings at times, especially N of Prince of Wales Island, where
precip will at times fall as snow.
&&
.MARINE...The pressure gradient has relaxed overnight, and
therefore, winds have diminished for the northeastern Gulf and
Inner Channel waters as the previous front has been pushing out
and away from the region. As the next low moves into the SE Gulf
early today, winds increase again to the 25 - 30 kt range,
primarily for the SE Gulf and southern Inner Channel areas. With
the low over the south, the pressure gradient shifts and the previous
southerly flow switches to northerly flow for the northern 2/3 of
the Panhandle by early this evening.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday evening through Thursday
afternoon for AKZ320>322-325.
Winter Storm Warning from 9 AM this morning to 9 AM AKST
Wednesday for AKZ331.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ036-053-641>644-651-652-661>664-671-
672.
&&
SHORT TERM...JLC/PRB
LONG TERM....NC
AVIATION...GFS
MARINE...JLC/PRB
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
An RWIS station just over 3 miles from the border with Hyder recorded around 12.5 inches of snow between 11am on the 28th and 2am on the 29th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2025
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: 1245040.