tundra travel5 Jan 2019 10:00
NORTH SLOPE OFF-ROAD TRAVEL STATUS REPORT January 4, 2019
DNR has completed an assessment of snow conditions and soil temperatures on the North Slope as related to off-road travel on State-owned land. The assessment was complete as of January 4, 2019.
The target for the Eastern and Western Coastal Areas is 6 inches of snow and -5° C (23° F) soil temperature at one foot (30 cm) depth. The target for the Lower and Upper Foothills Areas is 9 inches of snow and -5° C (23° F) soil temperature at one foot (30 cm) depth.
The Western Coastal Opening Area is currently OPEN. Snow depth and soil temperature criteria were met at all monitoring stations on December 19, 2018.
The Eastern Coastal Opening Area is currently OPEN. Snow depth and soil temperature criteria were met at all monitoring stations on December 17, 2018.
Lower Foothills Opening Area is currently CLOSED. The snow depth target of 9 inches has been met at three of the five Lower Foothills monitoring stations. The remaining monitoring station averaged 8.28 inches of snow. The soil temperature target has been met at four of the five monitoring stations.
Upper Foothills Opening Area is currently CLOSED. The snow depth target of 9 inches has been met at three of the four Upper Foothills monitoring stations. The remaining monitoring station averaged 7.7 inches of snow. The soil temperature target has been met at one of the three monitoring stations with thermocouples.