'Snag' is a village located on a small, dry-weather
sideroad off of the
Alaska Highway a few miles south of
Beaver Creek,
Yukon,
Canada. The village of Snag is located in a bowl-shaped valley of the
White River and its tributaries, including
Snag Creek. It was first settled during the
Klondike Gold Rush. An aboriginal village was also located about five miles away. It was the site of a military airfield, established as part of the
Northwest Staging Route, which closed in 1968. In 1947, the village of Snag boasted a population of 8 to 10 natives and fur traders. An additional staff of 15-20 airport personnel — meteorologists, radio operators, aircraft maintenance men — lived at the airport barracks.
The Record
On
3 February 1947, the record-low temperature for North America was recorded in Snag: . That same winter, two previous records was set: one on
December 13 in
Mayo, Yukon and another here at Snag the day before. Staff at the station made note of various phenomena, particularly sound such as voices being heard clearly miles from the source. There was a clear sky (except some ice fog), and little wind. There were 15 inches of snow on the ground, but was fast decreasing. Another town 180km northeast of Snag,
Fort Selkirk claimed an even lower degree of -85°F, but this could not be confirmed.
External links
★
An account of the historic low temperature