Heavy Snow — Middle Tanana Valley, Alaska

2019-04-21 to 2019-04-24 · Middle Tanana Valley, Alaska

Event narrative

The heaviest snow was reported at higher elevations in the hills north and east of Fairbanks. A resident at Milepost 46 of the Steese Hwy northeast of Fairbanks reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 8.0 inches. Less snow was observed at lower elevations because precipitation began as rain before transitioning to snow. In the Fairbanks area, 2 to 4 inches of snow was observed.

Wider weather episode

A 978 millibar low pressure system moved into the northeast Gulf of Alaska and continued north into the Yukon Territory. The associated weather front spread precipitation from the Alaska-Yukon Border west to the Fairbanks area. In many locations the precipitation began as rain or a rain snow mix and eventually transitioned to all snow. The weather front remained nearly stationary for 36 hours before dissipating.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 827182. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.