NORTH SLOPE OFF-ROAD TRAVEL STATUS REPORT17 Dec 2022 09:47
NORTH SLOPE OFF-ROAD TRAVEL STATUS REPORT
December 16, 2022
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. All tundra opening areas were sampled between December 14 and December 16, 2022.
ALL TUNDRA OPENING AREAS. Overall, snow depths are slowly increasing, primarily due to wind transport. Wind slab
is forming at most monitoring stations, but it remains weak. Air temperatures have dropped since Monday and are
expected to remain seasonably cold for the next week. This should encourage soil temperatures to drop. Little snow
accumulation is in the forecast. Observations for each specific area are provided below.
Eastern Coastal Area. The Eastern Coastal Area remains closed. Most sites are meeting snow depth and temperature
criteria except for two. One site requires additional snow, and soil temperatures remain above -5°C at a second site.
Western Coastal Area isOPEN. The Western Coastal Area opened December 16, 2022. All stations within the Western
Coastal Area have met the 6-inch snow depth requirement and the -5°C at 30 cm depth soil temperature requirement.
Lower FoothillsArea. The Lower Foothills Area remains closed. Snowdepths have moderately increased. Two stations
are now meeting the snow depth requirement of 9-inches. Soil temperatures remain variable and stations with more
snow have warmer soil temperatures. One station has reached -5°C.
Upper Foothills Area. The Upper Foothills Area remains closed. Snow measurements have moderately decreasedat two
monitoring stations, while two other stations are meeting the 9-inch opening criteria. Soil temperatures are decreasing
steadily at the two stations with the lowest snowdepths. One station has met the -5°C at 30 cm depth soil temperature
requirement.
Summary Table of Snow and Soil Temperature Conditions
Opening Area Soil temperature range at 30 cm depth Average snow depth Average snow water equivalent*
Eastern Coastal -3.99°C to < -6.58°C 6.34 inches 1.1 inch
Western Coastal -5.00°C to < -5.32°C 7.36 inches 1.1 inch
Lower Foothills -1.14°C to -5.07°C 7.86 inches 1.0 inch
Upper Foothills -0.38°C to -5.57 °C 7.98 inches 1.1 inc