Alert archive / Alaska / Blizzard Warnings in 2011

Blizzard Warning 48, NWS Anchorage, AK

December 20, 2011

NWS Anchorage, AK issued this blizzard warning at Dec 20, 2011, 12:00 AM AKST. It took effect at Dec 20, 2011, 6:00 AM AKST. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 20, 2011, 12:00 AM AKST (09:00 UTC)
In effect from
Dec 20, 2011, 6:00 AM AKST
Expired
Dec 20, 2011, 11:33 AM AKST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Anchorage, AK

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

411 
WWAK42 PAFC 200900
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1200 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011


AKZ161-210100-
/X.UPG.PAFC.BZ.A.0025.111220T1500Z-111220T2100Z/
/X.NEW.PAFC.BZ.W.0048.111220T1500Z-111221T0100Z/
BRISTOL BAY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KING SALMON...DILLINGHAM...NAKNEK...
PILOT POINT
1200 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM AKST TUESDAY NORTH
AND WEST OF KING SALMON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM AKST TUESDAY. THE
BLIZZARD WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 


* LOCATION...NORTH AND WEST OF KING SALMON.

* SNOW...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH ISOLATED
  AMOUNTS TO 8 INCHES...WITH UP TO 3 INCHES ACCUMULATION NORTH AND
  EAST OF KING SALMON. 

* VISIBILITY...VISIBILITY WILL BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS
  AT TIMES.

* WIND...EAST WIND 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUST TO 55 MPH IN THE MORNING
  BECOMING SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH DURING
  THE AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...THE MOST WIDESPREAD BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR
  DURING THE MORNING HOURS...THEN MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON
  AS WINDS SWITCH TO SOUTH OR SOUTHWESTERLY. SNOW SHOWERS WITH
  AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING.

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW
  WILL PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. ANY OUTDOOR
  ACTIVITIES SUCH AS DRIVING WILL BECOME VERY DIFFICULT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITE-OUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL VERY DIFFICULT. ALL TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
104 
WWAK42 PAFC 201255
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
355 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011

AKZ161-210100-
/X.CON.PAFC.BZ.W.0048.111220T1500Z-111221T0100Z/
BRISTOL BAY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KING SALMON...DILLINGHAM...NAKNEK...
PILOT POINT
355 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011

...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM AKST THIS
AFTERNOON NORTH AND WEST OF KING SALMON...

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM AKST THIS
AFTERNOON. 

* LOCATION...NORTH AND WEST OF KING SALMON.

* SNOW...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH ISOLATED 
  AMOUNTS TO 8 INCHES...WITH UP TO 3 INCHES ACCUMULATION NORTH 
  AND EAST OF KING SALMON. 

* VISIBILITY...VISIBILITY REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT
  TIMES.

* WIND...EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUST TO 50 MPH BECOMING
  SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST BY LATE AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...THE MOST WIDESPREAD BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR 
  DURING THE MORNING HOURS...THEN MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE 
  AFTERNOON AS WINDS SWITCH TO SOUTH OR SOUTHWESTERLY. SNOW 
  SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE 
  EVENING. 

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW 
  WILL PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. ANY OUTDOOR 
  ACTIVITIES SUCH AS DRIVING WILL BECOME VERY DIFFICULT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITE-OUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL VERY DIFFICULT. ALL TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

&&

$$
646 
WWAK42 PAFC 202033
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1133 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011

AKZ161-202145-
/X.CAN.PAFC.BZ.W.0048.000000T0000Z-111221T0100Z/
BRISTOL BAY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KING SALMON...DILLINGHAM...NAKNEK...
PILOT POINT
1133 AM AKST TUE DEC 20 2011

...BLIZZARD WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTH AND WEST OF KING SALMON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS CANCELLED THE
BLIZZARD WARNING. 

STEADY SNOW HAS ENDED AND WILL BECOME MORE INTERMITTENT THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES HAVE ALSO WARMED INTO THE LOWER
30S SO BLOWING SNOW IS BECOMING LESS OF A PROBLEM. LOCALIZED
VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN ONE MILE ARE STILL EXPECTED THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Anchorage, AK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 19, 4:00 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC36 hr
Dec 19, 4:00 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC4 days
Dec 19, 4:00 PM AKSTStorm WarningAFC12 hr
Dec 19, 4:00 PM AKSTStorm WarningAFC12 hr
Dec 19, 4:07 PM AKSTBlizzard WatchAFC8 hr
Dec 19, 4:09 PM AKSTHigh Wind WarningAFC30 hr
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC48 hr
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC24 hr
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC5 days
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC6 days
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC6 hr
Dec 20, 4:00 AM AKSTStorm WarningAFC12 hr
Dec 20, 4:36 AM AKSTBlizzard WarningAFC23 hr
Dec 20, 4:36 AM AKSTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFC13 hr
Dec 20, 9:40 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC18 hr
Dec 20, 10:00 AM AKSTStorm WarningAFC6 hr

Nearby

Blizzard Warnings in Alaska, 2011Every blizzard warning in 2011

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.