Heavy Snow — Western Kupreanof Island and Kuiu Island, Alaska

2025-01-15 · Western Kupreanof Island and Kuiu Island, Alaska

Event narrative

A trained spotter in Kake reported that rain changed to snow at about 940am on the 15th with visibility falling to a half mile. The spotter measured 4.5 inches by 249pm with heavy rates continuing. Another spotter SW of Kake in Security Bay reported similar conditions with a measurement of 8 inches and reported it had changed back to rain at 335pm. The change over to rain in Kake happened about an hour later with precipitation ending shortly after.

Wider weather episode

A shift in the steering pattern opened the path for a low to track across the southern panhandle, bringing with it high winds. Just north of the high winds, increased precipitation rates caused a change to heavy snow for the Kake area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1245039. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.