Weather Patterns for Significant Snowfall Events in Prince William Sound, AK, Part 2
A Climatology of snowfall events was put together for each city based on data availability. Preliminary results from the Valdez climatology study indicate the greatest frequency of large snowfall events (>12in) occur between December and February despite the typical winter season running from October through March. Preliminary results also show years with fewer large snowfall events coincide with warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean associated with the PDO. Reanalysis of the top twenty cases resulted in the placement of the cases into distinct categories based on the location of the surface low pressure and 500mb height pattern. This allows forecasters to identify these events and sea surface temperature anomalies in the Pacific such that the potential severity of snowstorms may be anticipated on a seasonal timescale.
Snowfall distribution in Southern Alaska during large events is complex and likely dependent on several small-scale factors. Output from high resolution WRF simulations will provide further insight into factors that may contribute to differences in precipitation patterns over Prince William Sound.