Last Brooks Range winter storm warning expires after a snowy weekend

The National Weather Service's last Brooks Range winter storm warning expired at 10 pm Monday, ending nearly a week of storm watches and warnings across the range.

Weather service co-op observers in Bettles and Wiseman each recorded about 7 inches of new snow in the 24 hours ending Sunday morning, with snow still falling, according to storm reports from Bettles and Wiseman. Bettles had 13 inches on the ground.

The biggest forecasts were farther west. At one point Saturday, forecasters called for 15 to 30 inches in the high country around Red Dog Mine and 3 to 6 inches in Noatak, with gusts to 55 mph, before trimming the high-terrain total to 10 to 20 inches. A Sunday update said travel should be restricted to emergencies. The weather service canceled that warning, which also covered the Upper Kobuk Valley, late Sunday morning.

On the coast, a blizzard warning covered Kivalina, where gusts around 60 mph knocked out power to much of the village Friday.

Farther east, the warning that expired Monday covered the Dalton Highway around Coldfoot and Wiseman and the Upper Koyukuk Valley, including Bettles and Allakaket. It called for 8 to 16 inches of snow along the highway, in two waves.

The western warning was the Noatak Valley's second winter storm warning this month.

Snow was expected to taper off across the range overnight. Areas east of Anaktuvuk Pass should be drier Tuesday and Wednesday, while snow showers continue in the Western Brooks Range through midweek. The remnants of Typhoon Champi are expected in Western Alaska Thursday into Friday, with snow along Interior summits and in the larger mountain ranges, forecasters said.