Winter Storm — Haines Borough and Klukwan, Alaska

2024-01-03 to 2024-01-04 · Haines Borough and Klukwan, Alaska

Event narrative

Snow began around 9am on the 3rd and a trained spotter south of Haines measured 6 inches shortly before 9pm. The Alaska Department of Transportation estimated 8 to 12 inches of snow along parts of the Haines Highway during the early morning hours of the 4th and the Haines Customs COOP measured 10.5 inches by 7am but was still snowing at the time. By 9 AM, trained spotters and COOP observer measured a range of 10 to 15 inches of heavy wet snow near Haines. Snow changed to rain shortly after with a short period of freezing rain.

Wider weather episode

A front moving up from the SW initiated an overrunning event for the northern panhandle. Favorable NW winds around Haines helped keep precipitation as snow across the Borough while most of the remaining panhandle saw rain. The heaviest snowfall rates were Wednesday night.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1158055. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.