Weather service warns of up to 14 inches of snow on Klondike Highway, White Pass

The National Weather Service in Juneau has the Klondike Highway, including White Pass, under a winter storm warning from 10 am AKDT Saturday until 9 am AKST Sunday. Forecasters say heavy snow is expected, with total accumulations of 9 to 14 inches possible, wind gusts as high as 40 mph and possible blowing snow.

"Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Conditions will likely become slick and hazardous," the Juneau office said in the warning.

The office first issued the warning Friday afternoon, when it said travel could be very difficult. Updates issued overnight and early Saturday added possible blowing snow and said travel could become impossible.

The full snow total will not reach every stretch of road. Snow levels, the elevation above which precipitation falls as snow, start near 600 feet early Saturday and are expected to rise to about 1,500 feet by midday, the agency said. That will limit accumulation below milepost 10 on the Klondike Highway.

The weather service advises anyone who must travel to keep an extra flashlight, food and water in the vehicle in case of an emergency. Road conditions are available by calling 511 or at Alaska 511.

The Municipality of Skagway is under a separate wind advisory until 10 pm AKDT Saturday. Southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph are forecast, with gusts to 40 mph. The agency said tree limbs could come down and a few power outages may result. Residents should secure outdoor objects.

In August, a landslide on the Canadian side closed the highway at the border, Alaska News previously reported. On Oct. 8, Alaska News reported on the state's search for an avalanche forecaster to watch the highway above Skagway for up to five winters.

The Alaska Department of Transportation monitors weather, terrain and snowpack on highways where it does avalanche work, using that information to forecast avalanche hazard and decide when traffic needs temporary delays. Crews near Skagway have begun using an Avalauncher to reduce avalanche hazard, according to the department's avalanche program page.