Alert archive / Alaska / Wind Chill Advisories in 2020
Wind Chill Advisory 2, NWS Fairbanks, AK
NWS Fairbanks, AK issued this wind chill advisory at Jan 3, 2020, 12:50 PM AKST. It was in force for 29 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 3, 2020, 12:50 PM AKST (21:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 4, 2020, 5:41 PM AKST
- In force
- 29 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Fairbanks, AK
The text
As transmitted.
013 WWAK41 PAFG 032150 WSWNSB URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 1250 PM AKST Fri Jan 3 2020 AKZ201-041500- /O.NEW.PAFG.WC.Y.0002.200103T2150Z-200104T1500Z/ Western Arctic Coast- Including Wainwright, Atqasuk, Point Lay, and Cape Lisburne 1250 PM AKST Fri Jan 3 2020 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin. Expect wind chills to around 50 below zero. * WHERE...Western Arctic Coast. * WHEN...Now to 6 AM Saturday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Low wind chill values will continue through the night but will begin to moderate Saturday morning as winds diminish. * PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and sustained wind speeds of 15 mph or more will create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. $$ AKZ206-041500- /O.CON.PAFG.WW.Y.0147.000000T0000Z-200105T1500Z/ Northeastern Brooks Range- Including Anaktuvuk Pass, Atigun Pass, Galbraith Lake, Sagwon, and Franklin Bluffs 1250 PM AKST Fri Jan 3 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 50 below occuring. The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin. North winds gusting to 30 mph. * WHERE...In passes of the Northeastern Brooks Range. * WHEN...Until 6 AM Sunday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...North winds gusting to 30 mph will cause drifting snow and wind chills to 50 below in passes through Sunday morning. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Winter Weather Advisory for blowing snow means that visibilities will be limited due to strong winds blowing snow around. Use caution when traveling, especially in open areas. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. $$
3 follow-up statements
178 WWAK41 PAFG 041348 WSWNSB URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 448 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 AKZ201-050100- /O.EXT.PAFG.WC.Y.0002.000000T0000Z-200105T0300Z/ Western Arctic Coast- Including Wainwright, Atqasuk, Point Lay, and Cape Lisburne 448 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AKST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 55 below occuring. The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin. * WHERE...Western Arctic Coast from Point Lay west. * WHEN...Now to 6 PM this evening. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and sustained wind speeds of 15 mph or more will create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. $$ AKZ206-050100- /O.CON.PAFG.WW.Y.0147.000000T0000Z-200105T1500Z/ Northeastern Brooks Range- Including Anaktuvuk Pass, Atigun Pass, Galbraith Lake, Sagwon, and Franklin Bluffs 448 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 55 below occuring. North winds gusting to 30 mph causing drifting snow. * WHERE...in Passes of the Northeastern Brooks Range. * WHEN...Until 6 AM Sunday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...North winds 15 mph gusting to 30 mph will continue in passes through tonight. This will cause wind chills to 55 below and drifting snow in passes through early Sunday morning. Winds will decrease Sunday morning and conditions will improve then. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Winter Weather Advisory for blowing snow means that visibilities will be limited due to strong winds blowing snow around. Use caution when traveling, especially in open areas. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. $$
339 WWAK41 PAFG 041950 WSWNSB URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 1050 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 AKZ206-050300- /O.CON.PAFG.WW.Y.0147.000000T0000Z-200105T1500Z/ Northeastern Brooks Range- Including Anaktuvuk Pass, Atigun Pass, Galbraith Lake, Sagwon, and Franklin Bluffs 1050 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 55 below occuring. North winds gusting to 30 mph causing drifting snow. * WHERE...in Passes of the Northeastern Brooks Range. * WHEN...Until 6 AM Sunday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...North winds 15 mph gusting to 30 mph will continue in passes through tonight. This will cause wind chills to 55 below and drifting snow in passes through early Sunday morning. Winds will decrease Sunday morning and conditions will improve then. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Winter Weather Advisory for blowing snow means that visibilities will be limited due to strong winds blowing snow around. Use caution when traveling, especially in open areas. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. $$ AKZ201-050300- /O.CON.PAFG.WC.Y.0002.000000T0000Z-200105T0300Z/ Western Arctic Coast- Including Wainwright, Atqasuk, Point Lay, and Cape Lisburne 1050 AM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AKST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 55 below occuring. The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes to exposed skin. * WHERE...Western Arctic Coast from Point Lay west. * WHEN...Now to 6 PM this evening. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and sustained wind speeds of 15 mph or more will create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. $$
672 WWAK41 PAFG 050241 WSWNSB URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 541 PM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 AKZ201-050345- /O.CAN.PAFG.WC.Y.0002.000000T0000Z-200105T0300Z/ Western Arctic Coast- Including Wainwright, Atqasuk, Point Lay, and Cape Lisburne 541 PM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS CANCELLED... Stronger winds near Cape Lisburne will continue to diminish overnight. Winds from Point lay to Wainwright have already diminished and not meeting wind chill advisory criteria. $$ AKZ206-051500- /O.CON.PAFG.WW.Y.0147.000000T0000Z-200105T1500Z/ Northeastern Brooks Range- Including Anaktuvuk Pass, Atigun Pass, Galbraith Lake, Sagwon, and Franklin Bluffs 541 PM AKST Sat Jan 4 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills to 55 below occuring. North winds gusting to 30 mph causing drifting snow. * WHERE...in Passes of the Northeastern Brooks Range. * WHEN...Until 6 AM Sunday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...North winds 15 mph gusting to 30 mph will continue in passes through tonight and cause blowing and drifting snow. It will also cause wind chills to 55 below in passes through early Sunday morning. Winds will decrease Sunday morning with conditions improving. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Winter Weather Advisory for blowing snow means that visibilities will be limited due to strong winds blowing snow around. Use caution when traveling, especially in open areas. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. $$
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this wind chill advisory went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this wind chill advisory went out at Jan 3, 6:55 AM AKST, 5 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 6:55 AM AKST, 5 hours 55 minutes before
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 655 AM AKST Fri Jan 3 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Highlights are: North winds 30 to 40 mph through the passes and over the south slopes of the Brooks Range, and between Point Hope and the Bering Strait, along with winds chills of 40 to 50 below and blowing and drifting snow, will persist through early Sunday. Temperatures near normal over most of Northern Alaska will drop through the weekend to well below normal by next week. Aloft... The long wave pattern consists of a deep long wave trough stretching from the Canadian Archipelago southwest across Alaska and over the Gulf of Alaska, and a strong ridge stretching from the the Western Bering north over NE Russia and into the Arctic Ocean to the north. This pattern is expected to persist through the weekend, then progress with the ridge pushing east over mainland Alaska by the middle of next week. The long wave trough will cause mostly cloudy conditions to persist through the weekend over most of the area south of the Brooks Range, with near normal temperatures falling below normal this weekend. There are partly cloudy areas over all of Northern Alaska now, with much colder temperatures developing in these areas. Can expect surface temps of zero to 15 below in cloudy areas, and between 20 and 40 below in the clear areas. Due to clouds cycling through the long wave trough, temperatures will be highly variable depending on the changing cloud cover. A short wave trough from Dawson north will move top Tok to Old Crow by 3pm Fri, to Denali to Atigun Pass by 3am Sat, and then dissipating. Expect low to mid level clouds and light snow or flurries along this trough, with some clearing and cooling to the east of the trough. A second short wave moving over the southern Yukon Territory on Sat and over the SE Interior Sat PM and Sun. Will see another band of clouds and light snow or flurries with this trough. Surface.... High pressure north of the Arctic Coast of Alaska will weaken slowly through Sun. A low pressure trough in the high Arctic will move south over the Western Arctic Coast of Alaska Sat PM and then persist into Sun. This will bring stratus and flurries/fog to the Western Arctic Coast on Sat/Sun. A weather front stretching from the Yukon Delta to Eagle will move to Nome to Old Crow by 3am Sat, to St Lawrence Island to Old Crow by 3pm Sat, and then dissipate. Light snow and flurries will persist along this front through Sat. This trough, combined with the high pressure and cold air over the North Slope, are causing north winds to 30 to 40 mph through Brooks Range Passes, along south Slopes of the Brooks Range, that will persist through Sat and then slowly decrease through Sun. These winds, combined with cold temps are causing wind chills of 40-50 below in these areas that will persist through 6am Sun. Can expect blowing snow through passes in these areas through Sat night as well. && .DISCUSSION... Models Initialize well aloft at 00Z, and show similar solutions through Sun. Some differences in moisture fields are present, and leads us to believe that partly to mostly cloudy conditions will be highly variable and difficult to forecast over Interior Alaska through this weekend. On the precip fields, models are similar and we will use a blend of the GFS, ECMF and NAM precip fields. 850 mb temperatures range from -15C over the the southern Interior to -30 over the North Slopes of the Brooks Range and over the Yukon Territory. Temperatures will change little along the West Coast and Western Interior, but will cool to -25 to -30 over the Eastern Interior by Sun. At the surface, models verify well at 06Z, but the gradient over the Northern Interior is slightly stronger than models indicate. For this reason we will boost winds 3-5 kt over the Southern Brooks Range from what models indicate and keeps these slightly stronger winds through Sat night. Bottom line is we will use a blend of models for precipitation and clouds, and boost winds over the southern Brooks Range through Sat night. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ207-AKZ208-AKZ217. Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ206-AKZ218. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ210. Gale Warning for PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225. && JB JAN 20
The office that day
Everything else NWS Fairbanks, AK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 5:29 AM AKST | Gale Warning | AFG | 8 hr | |
| Jan 3, 5:40 AM AKST | Heavy Freezing Spray Warning | AFG | 8 hr | |
| Jan 3, 12:46 PM AKST | Wind Chill Advisory | AFG | 53 hr | |
| Jan 3, 1:42 PM AKST | Brisk Wind Advisory | AFG | 39 hr | |
| Jan 3, 1:44 PM AKST | Brisk Wind Advisory | AFG | 24 hr |
Nearby
Wind Chill Advisories in Alaska, 2020Every wind chill advisory in 2020
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.