Alaska, 1997

Blizzard in Alaska, January 10 to 12, 1997

January 10 to 12, 1997 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A weather front moving over an existing strong pressure gradient across the outer West Coast of Alaska produced high winds and blizzard conditions. Winds at Tin City peaked at 40 kts sustained, at Gambell 45 kts sustained, gust 55 kts.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.

A weather front moving over an existing strong pressure gradient across the outer West Coast of Alaska produced high winds and blizzard conditions. Winds at Tin City peaked at 40 kts sustained, at Gambell 45 kts sustained, gust 55 kts. Visibility sensor not working at Gambell to indicate period of blizzard, but at Tin City blizzard conditions likely from 11th 1000am to 12th 0235am.

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Eastern Baranof Island and Southern Admiralty Island

When
January 10, 8:35 PM AST to January 12, 10:35 PM AST
Where
Eastern Baranof Island and Southern Admiralty Island forecast zone
Measured
55

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586606.