The National Weather Service issued warnings Sunday, November 8, for heavy snow near the Haines border crossing and strong winds on Prince of Wales Island as a storm approaches southeastern Alaska.
The snow and wind warnings cover different places and have separate Monday validity periods. They do not describe conditions across all of Alaska.
For upper elevations of the Haines Highway near Haines Customs, forecasters said 8–12 inches of snow was possible. The winter storm warning runs from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Alaska Standard Time Monday, November 9, equivalent to 6 a.m. through 9 p.m. Central Standard Time.
The bulletin warns that travel could be very difficult. Its snowfall forecast applies to the upper highway near the border crossing, rather than uniformly to the town of Haines or the entire borough.
Forecasters expect snow levels to rise from about 500 feet to 2,000 feet by Monday evening. The incoming system is expected to bring moisture into the Haines area overnight Sunday into Monday, with below-freezing temperatures supporting snow at higher elevations.
A separate high wind warning covers Prince of Wales Island from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. AKST Monday, equivalent to 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. CST. The forecast calls for southeast winds of 20–30 mph, with gusts reaching 60 mph.
The strongest winds are expected along the island’s Gulf Coast and southern areas Monday morning into early afternoon. The weather service warns that unsecured objects could blow around, property damage and power outages could occur, and travel could become difficult.
These are forecasts of potential impacts. The bulletins do not establish that Monday’s snow totals or peak wind gusts have already occurred.