Winter Storm — Haines Borough and Klukwan, Alaska

2026-01-08 to 2026-01-10 · Haines Borough and Klukwan, Alaska

Event narrative

Intermittent light snow fell on the 8th, becoming steady through early morning of the 9th. At 8am the Haines COOP measured 4 inches of snow, some of that from the previous day's pre-frontal snow showers. Visibility fell to a quarter mile at 9am at the Haines airport ASOS and stayed that low, or less, with whiteout conditions reported until about 5pm. A trained spotter in front of town measured 5.25 inches of snow at 1107am, then at 1pm reported that wind had picked up with drifting snow, limiting ability for further accurate measurements. At 1149am DOT estimated 6-12 inches of snow along the Haines Highway. A spotter at 26 mile reported light snow on the 8th starting around 2pm with rates picking up significantly on the 9th with around 6 inches falling between 11am-130pm and a total of 12.25 inches by 530pm with heavy snow letting up shortly after report time. At 630pm the Haines airport began reporting freezing rain, until temperatures rose above freezing over the next 2 hours. Out the road, the DOT RWIS sensor at 36 mile rose above freezing after midnight. The following morning the Haines COOP in town measured a 24 hour snowfall of 12 inches (16 inches including snowfall from the previous day) and Haines Customs measured a 24 hour total of 13 inches.

An avalanche was reported between 16-17 mile of the Haines Highway at 826am on the 9th with the road impassible, but cleared a couple hours later. At 1130am the Haines Police advised Mud Bay residents to avoid non-essential travel due to poor road conditions and low visibility. The police shared several additional safety messages with the community throughout the day including using headlights with whiteout conditions. At 226pm DOT closed Haines Highway between 4-21 mile and Lutak Rd. beyond the ferry terminal and advised that plowing would resume the following day.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river brought snow followed by high winds, warming temperatures and heavy rain to the panhandle January 8th and 9th. A low pressure center developed along a triple point front as it tracked NE across the western Gulf of Alaska on the 9th. The low center deepened to 960mb as it approached the northern Gulf and the frontal system brought a period of high winds to the central and southern panhandle. This system brought with it heavy snow across the north, followed by a significant warm-up, heavy rain, localized flooding due to previous heavy snow blocking drainages, and avalanches. The flooding falls into the advisory level, but the rain was an additional impact due to the added weight of the snow on structures. Disaster declarations were expanded to more communities across the northern panhandle after this storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1317665. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.