Heavy Snow — Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile, Alaska

2021-09-20 to 2021-09-22 · Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile, Alaska

Event narrative

Heavy snow ranging from 6 inches to nearly 9 inches fell across the upper Tanana Valley north to the upper Yukon River Valley. The COOP observer in Tok reported a storm total snowfall of 8.8 inches, while the COOP observer in Eagle observed 7.5 inches during the event. For Eagle, this is the highest snow depth and highest 2-day snowfall this early in the season on record. It falls short of the highest 2-day snowfall on record for September, which is 13.5 inches in late Sept 1920. Observations at Eagle go back to 1900, but with long gaps prior to the 1970s.

Wider weather episode

The combination of low pressure over the northeast Gulf of Alaska and a cold front over the eastern Interior resulted in an early season snowfall in the Upper Tanana Valley, Eastern Alaska Range, and upper Yukon Valley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 987710. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.