Up to a foot of snow possible on the upper Haines and Klondike highways Monday

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Saturday for Skagway, Haines and Klukwan, saying 6 to 12 inches of snow is possible from late Sunday night through late Monday night as a strong storm moves in from the Gulf of Alaska.

The watch singles out the upper elevations of the Haines Highway near Haines Customs, close to the Canadian border, and the Klondike Highway near White Pass. "Travel could be very difficult," the watch says.

The Haines Highway is expected to get the most. Up to 12 inches could fall near Haines Customs in 24 hours Monday, the Juneau office wrote in its forecast discussion Saturday night. White Pass may be sheltered from much of it and end up at the lower end of the range.

The storm is a storm-force low expected to move into the central gulf and sweep a moist front across the panhandle Monday. Forecasters expect 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain across the panhandle in 24 hours. Near Haines and Skagway, below-freezing temperatures and snow levels under 1,000 feet point to snow on the higher stretches of road, the watch says.

A high wind watch is out for Prince of Wales Island, Baranof Island and the southern tip of Kuiu Island, with gusts up to 60 mph possible, though forecasters said they aren't sure how much of the strong wind aloft will reach the ground.

Skagway's wind comes first. The town is under a wind advisory until 3 am Sunday, with northeast winds increasing to 35 mph and gusts up to 45 mph Saturday night. The winds could blow around unsecured objects and bring down tree limbs, the advisory said.

Forecasters expect more lows to cross the gulf through the week, bringing more rain and wind, and possibly mixed precipitation in the northern panhandle away from sea level.