Winter Weather — Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

2023-11-17 · Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Event narrative

A spotter reported 5 inches of snowfall in the span of only a few hours near Soldotna on the morning of 11/17. Near whiteout conditions also occurred between Soldotna and Kenai, with the Kenai ASOS reporting as low as 1/4 mile visibility with snow and winds gusting over 30 mph as the main snow band associated with the mesoscale Cook Inlet low moved through.

Wider weather episode

A small but intense mesoscale low pressure spun up on radar and satellite at the north end of Cook Inlet on the morning of 11/17. This low drifted south into the Kenai area, pulling intense snow banding across Kenai and Soldotna areas where near whiteout conditions and snowfall rates of greater than an inch per hour occurred as the low moved inland over the Kenai Peninsula. The short duration limited new snowfall totals to 5 inches or less.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1142425. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.