Weather Alert in Alaska

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Winter Storm Warning issued March 14 at 2:38PM AKDT until March 16 at 1:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

AREAS AFFECTED: Municipality of Skagway; Haines Borough and Klukwan

DESCRIPTION: ...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL RETURNS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY... .Bands of snow showers are currently pushing into the NE Gulf as of Saturday afternoon with widely varying conditions. Advisory level snowfall rates of around 1 inch per 3 hours is expected from Yakutat to Sitka, with lighter rates inland. If snow showers train over one location for an extended period of time, visibility could drop to a half mile at times with greater accumulations. This wave of showers is separate from a stronger low pressure system that is expected to track northward across the panhandle starting Sunday morning and continuing through Monday. Steady snowfall will return with heaviest rates across the northern and central Alaska Panhandle starting Sunday morning and continuing into Monday. Current forecast snowfall accumulations within the Winter Storm Warnings are between 6 to 14 inches, with locally higher amounts expected through Monday evening. For southern panhandle communities in Winter Weather Advisories, expecting snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches, highest totals within interior Prince of Wales Island. The main forecast challenge for the southern panhandle will be the timing and transition period to a rain and snow mix, or potentially all rain by Sunday afternoon with temperatures reaching into the upper 30s to low 40s along the coast as the front pushes northward, limiting potential snowfall accumulations. Snow showers will then continue behind this system with widely variable accumulations through the rest of the week. * WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Municipality of Skagway and Haines Borough and Klukwan. * WHEN...From 7 PM Sunday to 1 PM AKDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be very difficult. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Heaviest snowfall rates are expected late Sunday night into early Monday morning. Highest snowfall totals for Skagway will be along the Klondike Highway.

INSTRUCTION: If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water with you in case of an emergency. People are urged to prepare their property before the onset of winter weather. For the latest road conditions, where available, call 5 1 1 or visit 511.alaska.gov. Mariners should prepare their vessels for heavy snow.

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Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?

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Precipitation Next Topic: Rain

Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.

In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface. When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga. Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.

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Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?

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Shelf Clouds Next Topic: Sleet

A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.

A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen. As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it, because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud, it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.

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