Teh One Who Knocks
11-01-2021, 11:11 AM
By Hillary Andrews | FOX Weather
https://i.imgur.com/nC0dQVA.png
The snowiest place in Alaska could become second snowiest after this weekend’s atmospheric river is forecast to dump up to 144 inches of snow on the Chugach Mountains. Mount Marcus Baker is the highest point in the Chugach Range and Northeast of Anchorage and Northwest of Valdez. Check out the snow forecast for a weather station near Sheep Mountain Airport on the mountain at 13,176 feet of elevation:
Sunday: 72-78 inches of snow
Sunday night: 27-33 inches of snow
Monday: 17-33 inches of snow
https://i.imgur.com/LMnQr8R.png
Can you imagine a storm leaving 144 inches or 12 feet of snow in two days? That would cover all but the eaves and roof of a one-story home.
Thomson Pass is the snowiest place in Alaska, also in The Chugach Mountains at 2,805’ in elevation. The pass gets an average of 500 inches per year of snow. It holds the record for the most snow in a season in the U.S. after 947 inches fell in the 1952-53 season. It also had the snowiest day in Alaska, with 62 inches on December 29, 1955.
Could records fall? It looks like it!
Alaska 24-hour snowfall record:
Thompson Pass 24 hour record 62 inches
Mountain Marcus Baker 24-hour forecast 99-111 inches
Alaska 2 day snowfall:
Thomson Pass 2-day snowfall amount 120.6 inches
Mountain Marcus Baker 48-hour forecast 116-144 inches
Sunday snow could even topple the U.S. record for 24-hour snowfall of 75.8 inches in Silver Lake, Colorado, from April 1921.
Why so much snow?
https://i.imgur.com/xB92JIy.png
The atmospheric river is fueling these snowstorms. The jetstream is focusing moist, subtropical air into Southeastern Alaska. That moist air moving north buts up against a low, bringing freezing temperatures south into Western Alaska. While the Chugach Range is getting feet of snow, 45-55 mph sustained winds (gusting higher), and high temperatures in the single digits, the eastern side of the frontal boundary sees rain. Lots of rain, the Kenai and Northeast Alaska Peninsulas have already seen 2-7 inches of it.
What do you do with all that snow?
The state does not maintain the Sheep Mountain Airport, but there are several all-terrain vehicle trails and hiking trails through the area, so snow removal is not a problem. Thompson Pass is home to Richardson Highway and the Trans Alaskan Pipeline, keeping clear all year long. The area is also a favorite for heli skiers and snowboarders who will undoubtedly be overjoyed.
https://i.imgur.com/nC0dQVA.png
The snowiest place in Alaska could become second snowiest after this weekend’s atmospheric river is forecast to dump up to 144 inches of snow on the Chugach Mountains. Mount Marcus Baker is the highest point in the Chugach Range and Northeast of Anchorage and Northwest of Valdez. Check out the snow forecast for a weather station near Sheep Mountain Airport on the mountain at 13,176 feet of elevation:
Sunday: 72-78 inches of snow
Sunday night: 27-33 inches of snow
Monday: 17-33 inches of snow
https://i.imgur.com/LMnQr8R.png
Can you imagine a storm leaving 144 inches or 12 feet of snow in two days? That would cover all but the eaves and roof of a one-story home.
Thomson Pass is the snowiest place in Alaska, also in The Chugach Mountains at 2,805’ in elevation. The pass gets an average of 500 inches per year of snow. It holds the record for the most snow in a season in the U.S. after 947 inches fell in the 1952-53 season. It also had the snowiest day in Alaska, with 62 inches on December 29, 1955.
Could records fall? It looks like it!
Alaska 24-hour snowfall record:
Thompson Pass 24 hour record 62 inches
Mountain Marcus Baker 24-hour forecast 99-111 inches
Alaska 2 day snowfall:
Thomson Pass 2-day snowfall amount 120.6 inches
Mountain Marcus Baker 48-hour forecast 116-144 inches
Sunday snow could even topple the U.S. record for 24-hour snowfall of 75.8 inches in Silver Lake, Colorado, from April 1921.
Why so much snow?
https://i.imgur.com/xB92JIy.png
The atmospheric river is fueling these snowstorms. The jetstream is focusing moist, subtropical air into Southeastern Alaska. That moist air moving north buts up against a low, bringing freezing temperatures south into Western Alaska. While the Chugach Range is getting feet of snow, 45-55 mph sustained winds (gusting higher), and high temperatures in the single digits, the eastern side of the frontal boundary sees rain. Lots of rain, the Kenai and Northeast Alaska Peninsulas have already seen 2-7 inches of it.
What do you do with all that snow?
The state does not maintain the Sheep Mountain Airport, but there are several all-terrain vehicle trails and hiking trails through the area, so snow removal is not a problem. Thompson Pass is home to Richardson Highway and the Trans Alaskan Pipeline, keeping clear all year long. The area is also a favorite for heli skiers and snowboarders who will undoubtedly be overjoyed.