Heavy Snow — Eastern Baranof Island and Southern Admiralty Island, Alaska

2008-01-25 to 2008-01-26 · Eastern Baranof Island and Southern Admiralty Island, Alaska

Event narrative

The cooperative observer at Hidden Falls measured 6.0 inches of new snowfall for twenty-four hours ending at 0800 on the twenty-sixth. Analyses indicated that all of this new snow fell between 1500 on the twenty-fifth and 0300 on the twenty-sixth.

Wider weather episode

Rapid storm development occurred over the central Gulf on the morning of the twenty-fifth. This system intensified as a low center at 982 MB just off Sitka on the afternoon of the twenty-fifth. Arctic high pressure built over the central interior of Alaska that night as the surface low stalled over the panhandle then formed two centers - one well inland and one over the eastern Gulf. The Gulf low moved slowly while weakening to the Queen Charlotte Islands on the evening of the twenty-sixth as arctic air moved into the Panhandle from the north. Strong arctic high pressure built into the Yukon on the night of the twenty-sixth and persisted through the twenty-seventh.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 74013. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.