Winter Storm — Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway, Alaska

2019-01-01 · Taiya Inlet and Klondike Highway, Alaska

Event narrative

Snow visible in Klondike web cams starting around 01/0430. The Klondike Hwy was closed as of 12/31 1538. DOT report Road closed due to severe weather on Canadian side, only flurries at the time but blowing snow. We figure that the highway on the US side got a dump of snow only to have it compacted and melted by the time the highway opened and temperatures warmed dramatically. By 1100, DOT reported that there was only 3 inches of snow on the road at the Pass. Impact was snow removal and closure of the highway on a holiday.

Wider weather episode

On New Year's Day 2019, a strong push of warm air moved over SE Alaska. Most areas had windy conditions and temperatures above freezing. This warm air had plenty of moisture and daily some rainfall records were set. The remained cold at elevations along the Klondike Highway for heavy snow, where the impact was poor driving conditions and snow removal. The other problem was storm force winds. The Ketchikan area got hit with winds above 60 mph, but no damage was reported. Due to the heavy rain AND wind, Thorne Bay had a significant debris flow that closed the highway to and from the town. No injuries or damage was reported from that incident, but DOT spent considerable effort to reopen the road.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 791482. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.