Winter Storm — Glacier Bay, Alaska

2012-12-08 to 2012-12-09 · Glacier Bay, Alaska

Event narrative

Gustavus got 5.5 inches of new snow early on the morning of 12/9 which was rapidly compacted due to mixing with rain. Visibility got as low as one mile in the snow, and the heavy snow was difficult to remove and manage.

Wider weather episode

On 12/7 the arctic front was over Northern Lynn Canal with high pressure over the northern Yukon into eastern B.C. This northern high build on 12/8 as a copious amount of moisture moved up from the south associated with a storm south of Dutch Harbor. The air masses collided on the afternoon of 12/8 bring heavy snowfall to the northern Panhandle. The heavier snowfall amounts were from 5 to 9 inches during the early morning hours on 12/9. Most areas had rain later that day making snow management difficult.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 426088. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.