Winter Storm — Glacier Bay, Alaska

2026-01-04 to 2026-01-05 · Glacier Bay, Alaska

Event narrative

Light, dry, fluffy snow fell during the afternoon and evening of the 4th based on spotter reports with over 5 inches of accumulation already by 8pm. The COOP at the Glacier Bay National Park measured 9.5 inches of new snow at their 8am observation on the 5th. Other trained spotters in town measured 6-8.5 inches that morning. Snow continued into the afternoon with variable rates reported including 6.5 inches between 930am and 345pm and a total of 13.5 inches by 7pm when a transition to rain was noted. The Gustavus Airport AWOS was down during this time, but other stations in the area saw periodic wind gusts of around 20mph during this time.

After significant snowfall in December and this additional snow, plus a transition to rain adding to the weight, damage to roofs and outbuildings likely occurred, but none were reported to the NWS.

Wider weather episode

Temperatures cooled across SE Alaska along with outflow winds during the first couple days of January after December's big snow dump. This allowed the next system that moved in from the west on the 4th and 5th to start out as snow. Prefrontal snow showers during the evening of the 4th added to the storm total snow for parts of the northern and central panhandle, then the main system moved in overnight with heavy snow on Monday the 5th (set to be the first day back at school after Winter Break for most locations). The southern panhandle saw a change over to rain during the day on the 5th, then the rain/snow line pushed northward through the night and into the morning of the 6th. Some strong winds accompanied the front, starting out of the north then shifting to the south with the front and causing temperatures to rise.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1315007. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.