Heavy Snow — Northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska

2025-01-26 to 2025-01-27 · Northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska

Event narrative

An Emergency Management reported that Valdez received 20 inches of snow in a 24 hour period from January 25th to January 26th. The EM reported that a couple of hours of sleet fell in the morning hours of January 26th and that snowfall was continuing to fall at 1:15 PM AKST the same day. The road through Thompson Pass from Mile-marker 12 to 46 at 8:00 PM AKST January 26th due to avalanche danger and inclement weather.

Wider weather episode

From January 23rd to January 26th, a cluster of low pressure systems with multiple separate centers moved into the Bering Sea. Parts of this cluster included a low with two centers that moved in from the west and a north Pacific Low that rose from the Southwest. As they approached the Southwestern Alaskan mainland, a frontal system set up and pressure gradients oriented in such a way that winds became gusty in the Alaska Peninsula during the afternoon hours of January 23rd. The lows combined and took a northerly turn on the 24th. The frontal system remained in place for the next two days and another north Pacific low rose from the south on January 25th. The low stalled out over the Alaska Peninsula and took advantage of an atmospheric river to drive heavy snowfall into Southwest and Southcentral Alaska through January 26th. A period of gusty winds were also felt in the Anchorage region on January 25th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1241915. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.