A front moving into the northern panhandle brought heavy snow to the Klondike Highway. The snow was primarily located at higher elevations with rain reported at sea level.
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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 front moving into the northern panhandle brought heavy snow to the Klondike Highway. The snow was primarily located at higher elevations with rain reported at sea level.
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 6, 3:06 PM AKST, 34 minutes earlier.
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
306 PM AKST Mon Jan 6 2025
.SHORT TERM...Well developed wave with an atmospheric river in
the flow pattern has the low center passing Kodiak Island this
afternoon the front is moving through the central gulf coast and
the remainder will move east across the panhandle overnight and
early Tuesday. 1.5 to 3 inches is expected from the front with the
higher totals for the northeast gulf coast and northern
panhandle. Shower activity will diminish behind the main front
Tuesday. Winds will also be weakening to under 25 kt for the gulf
waters later half Tuesday.
.LONG TERM...A series of lows continue to track into the Alaskan
Gulf continuing a very active and warm period. After the current
strong low in gulf dissipates, there will be a slight break in
precipitation and winds before the next strong low arrives late
Wednesday into Thursday. Heavy rain is expected Thursday brining 2
to 4 inches of precipitation, with potential higher amounts near
the northeastern gulf coast. The main impacts from this strong low
will be the chance of rising creeks and streams, to above
bankfull, with snow melt and additional rain. Temperatures stay
above normal values allowing for this continued snow melt to
occur. Higher elevations, along the Haines and Klondike Highways,
may see heavy snow as well. Although, snow levels will continue to
rise potentially decreasing snow amounts for the highways.
As for winds, the low moving into the gulf late Wednesday into
Thursday is another potential storm force low. The strongest winds
are going to be located along the coast with seas as high as 30 to
35 ft. After the Thursday low, the pattern continues to stay active
as a series of lows track along the Aleutian Islands, heading toward
southeast Alaska.
&&
.AVIATION...Conditions deteriorate overnight as a hurricane force
low moves into the Gulf driving strong winds across the
Panhandle. LLWS continues to be the primary threat for aviation
operations along with an MVFR cloud deck associated with RA. AAWU
has most of the coast under MOD ISOL SEV low level turbulence.
LLWS and turbulence improve Tuesday afternoon but conditions
remain MVFR to IFR from +RA.
&&
.MARINE...Confidence remains high that a Storm Force low will move into the
Gulf through Monday, bringing widespread sustained southeasterly
severe- Gales to the panhandle Gulf and coastal waters, increasing
to Storm Force as the front nears the coastline. Fresh seas of
30ft to 35ft are expected. Mariners operating in the Inner
Channels late Monday and Tuesday can expect near- Gale to Gale
force southeasterly winds for exposed areas like Chatham and
Clarence Straits, and fresh to strong breezes for inland channels
such as Stephens Passage and Lynn Canal. Winds and waves decrease
Wednesday, but another strong system will move into the Gulf
Thursday.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...Pair of atmospheric rivers inbound early part of the
week based on increasing confidence of the mid and long range
models. First feature for Tuesday has a small chance of flooding
issues. It does however prime the region, and start the snowmelt
process. The second feature will take advantage of the prep, and
increased snow levels and rain to add more snow melt into the
rivers and streams.
&&
.AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind until midnight AKST tonight for AKZ317.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 9 AM AKST Tuesday
for AKZ318.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM AKST Tuesday
for AKZ319.
Strong Wind through late tonight for AKZ323.
Strong Wind from 6 PM this evening to midnight AKST tonight for
AKZ325.
Strong Wind from 6 PM to 9 PM AKST this evening for AKZ327.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ652-662>664-671-672.
Gale Warning for PKZ036-053-641>644-651-661.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ012-013-021-022-031>035.
&&
SHORT TERM...Bezenek
LONG TERM....EAB
AVIATION...AP
MARINE...Bezenek
HYDROLOGY...Bezenek
Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/JuneauPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Juneau AK
155 PM AKST Mon Jan 6 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 AM Snow 2.5 SE Yakutat 59.54N 139.70W
01/04/2025 M6.4 Inch Yakutat AK Cocorahs
Cocorahs station AK-YK-1 Yakutat 2.5 SE
measured 6.4 inches of snow had fallen by
Saturday morning.
1100 AM Avalanche 1 S White Pass 59.62N 135.16W
01/05/2025 Skagway AK Dept of Highways
Klondike Highway DOT reported an avalanche
occurred at 14.3 mile, closing the road. The
road was reopened at 150pm.
0500 AM Snow 1 E Gustavus 58.41N 135.71W
01/06/2025 M5.8 Inch Hoonah-Angoon AK CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station GUSA2 1.1 E Gustavus.
0700 AM Snow Haines Customs 59.45N 136.35W
01/06/2025 M4.7 Inch Haines AK CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station at Haines Customs
measured 4.7 inches of snow over the
previous 2 days. Snow had ended.
0800 AM Snow Haines 59.24N 135.45W
01/06/2025 M9.7 Inch Haines AK CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station Haines No. 2 measured
2.6 inches of snow Sunday morning, some of
that from snow showers that occurred on
Saturday, and another 7.1 inches by Monday
morning when snow had ended. A glaze of ice
was also noted.
0930 AM Snow 1 NW Haines 59.24N 135.46W
01/06/2025 M9.0 Inch Haines AK Trained Spotter
Trained spotter reported 6 inches of new
snow on Sunday by 1120pm followed by another
3 inches by morning when snow had ended. 1
inch of snow had fallen from separate
showers on Saturday.
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JUNEAU AK 157 PM AKST MON JAN 6 2025 AKZ317>327-071700- CITY AND BOROUGH OF YAKUTAT-MUNICIPALITY OF SKAGWAY-HAINES BOROUGH AND KLUKWAN-GLACIER BAY-EASTERN CHICHAGOF ISLAND-CAPE FAIRWEATHER TO LISIANSKI STRAIT-CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA- ADMIRALTY ISLAND-CITY AND BOROUGH OF JUNEAU-PETERSBURG BOROUGH- WESTERN KUPREANOF ISLAND AND KUIU ISLAND- 157 PM AKST MON JAN 6 2025 ...ACTIVE WET WEATHER POISED TO RETURN TO NORTHERN PANHANDLE... A STRONG ATMOSPHERIC RIVER IS MOVING FROM THE CENTRAL PACIFIC ACROSS THE GULF AND INTO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST OF ALASKA AND THEN DRIFTING EAST INTO THE PANHANDLE. ANTICIPATED RAIN FALL FROM THIS FRONT SHOULD RANGE BETWEEN 1.5 AND 3.5 INCHES. WARM AIR WITH THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO WARM THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE, HOWEVER, NOT EXPECTING TO SEE THE NORTHERN LYNN CANAL AREAS TO SEE THIS WARMING UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW LEVELS FOR THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE UP TO 2500 FEET BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, THE ARE GUSTAVUS AND JUNEAU AREAS THE FREEZING LEVELS AREA LITTLE HIGHER AROUND 3000. THE RAIN FALLING INTO THE SNOWPACK AND WARMING WITH HIGHER TEMPERATURES WILL START TO INCREASE SNOWMELT. STREAMS WILL INCREASE, BUT THREATS OF PONDING WILL THE ISSUE WITH THE FIRST SYSTEM. THE SECOND FEATURE IS AS STRONG OR STRONGER AND EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE HIGHER (4000 TO 5000 FT ) AND ADDITIONAL RAIN ( 1 TO 3 INCHES MORE ) WILL ADD MORE SNOWMELT. STREAMS WILL BE RISING QUICKLY WITH THE FIRST SYSTEM, AND LOCALIZED FLOODING DUE TO DRAINAGE ISSUES ARE POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT RIVER RISES ARE MORE LIKELY WITH THIS SECOND EVENT AS THE FIRST EVENT PRIMED THE RIVER AND SOIL CONDITIONS TO POSSIBLE PRODUCE BANKFUL TO FLOODING CONDITIONS. BRIAN.BEZENEK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to 8 inches of snow fell on the Klondike Highway overnight from mile 12 to the border. Southerly winds were gusting 20 to 30 mph during this time at the Pass.
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: 1231458.