Winter Storm in Haines Borough and Klukwan, Alaska

Just over 5 inches of snow had fallen across the downtown Haines area as of 8am on the 4th based on the COOP and CoCoRaHS stations. After a lull in snowfall until around noon, rates picked up again becoming heavy in the evening with NW winds sustained winds increasing to around 20 mph at the airport with higher gusts near Lynn Canal. The CoCoRaHS spotter in the Skyline Drive area reported blowing snow and a new accumulation of 6.5 inches by 910pm on the 4th. By 8am on the 5th, the same location had a new 24hr total of 12.9 inches of snow with snow continuing to fall. The COOP in town, at a lower elevation, measured a 24hr snowfall of 8.9 inches. Snow tapered off through the evening of the 5th as temperatures warmed and new snowfall measurements the following morning were just over 5 inches with a glaze of freezing rain. The COOP station at Haines Customs reported considerably less snow during this period with less than 2 inches each day.

Low pressure lingered over the eastern Gulf over the first couple days of March causing multiple days of accumulating snow across the panhandle. Most places saw advisory level rates with some periods nearing warning level rates. As the low center tracked east across the central panhandle on the 4th, cold temperatures and northerly winds caused heavy snow to stack up over the Haines area. This was followed quickly by a warm front on the 5th which continued snow to accumulate in Haines through the evening while other parts of the region had transitioned to rain.