Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 20 to 23, 1999

Name: Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 20 to 23, 1999
Start: 1999-12-20T09:00
End: 1999-12-23T17:00
Location: Alaska

December 20 to 23, 1999 · NWS AFG · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 strong Low in the North Pacific moved north over the Alaska Peninsula on the evening of the 21st, then northeast over the interior of Alaska on the 22nd, with a second low developing just beyond the northeast corner of Alaska on the afternoon of the 22nd. The main low over the central interior also moved northeast joining the second low early on the 23rd, with a cold front sweeping east across the interior the night of the 22nd and stalling over the eastern Tanana Valley early on the 23rd, then moving east into Canada late in the day. The storm system brought a variety of winter weather to interior Alaska, along with High winds near the Alaska Range. Behind the cold front, moderate west winds over the eastern Tanana Valley existed from 9am on the 23rd to 9am on the 24th, hampering snow and ice removal in the Tok area.SNOW amounts reported:ZONE 5: Upper Yukon Valley: Chandalar Lake #2 23rd 7.5 inches; Circle Hot Springs 21st-22nd 8.4 inches; Wiseman 21st-22nd 13.2 inches; Chandalar lake 22nd 7.0 inches; 7 mile D.O.T 22nd 8.0 inches; Chicken 21st 9.0 inches; Eagle 21st 7.0 inchesZONE 4: Koyukuk Valley: Coldfoot D.O.T. 23rd-24th 17.0 inches; Chandalar Shelf D.O.T. 23rd 14.0 inches.ZONE 8: Lower Yukon Valley: Galena 22nd 7.0 inches.ZONE 7: Tanana Valley: Lake Minchumina 21st-22nd 15.5 inches; Tok D.O.T. 21st-24th 20.0 inches; Robertson River 21st 17.9 inches; Tanacross 21st 10.0 inches; Dry Creek 21st 14.5 inches; Northway D.O.T. 21st 6.0 inches. The State of Alaska Department of Transportation at Delta Junction reported unofficially that 34 inches had fallen by 9pm on the 21st at Trimms Camp south of Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway (in the Alaska Range). FREEZING RAIN reported across the Tanana Valley: Ester 5NE 21st 9pm; Fox 21st-22nd; Ester Dome 21st; Chena Ridge 21st ; North Pole(KJNP Radio) 21st; Fairbanks midtown 22nd-23rd; Goldstream22nd freezing drizzle; Eureka 23rd. The State of Alaska Department of Transportation at Delta Junction closed the Richardson Highway due to strong winds and heavy rains freezing on the roads. Roadside ditches were full and water was running down the highways. Creeks along the Richardson were overflowing and running across the road. Cold ground conditions caused the water to freeze on the road accumulating up to 4 inches of ice on the roadway. D.O.T. snow/plow trucks were blown off the road as a result of the high winds. Two private vehicles were stranded overnight in the Trimms Areas (south of Delta Junction in the Alaska Range) because neither Delta nor Paxson road crews could reach them. The D.O.T. office at Tok reported extremely hazardous driving conditions continuing onthe 23rd as an additional six inches of snow fell on the ice layer. HIGH WIND, Tanana Valley: Highest gusts: Denali Park AWOS 47 mph; Healy 60 mph; Delta Junction ASOS 48 mph - ASOS was without power during the middle of this event, so highest gust noted above was from available data before and after power outage.. See above narrative on Freezing Rain in the Delta Junction/northern Richardson Highway area. The State of Alaska Department of Transportation at Delta Junction estimated winds as high as 60 mph sustained with gusts to 85 mph; trees and signs were blown down.

Event by event

4 heavy snow, 1 ice storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Tanana Valley

When: December 20, 9:00 AM AST to December 23, 4:00 PM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Ice Storm, Tanana Valley

When: December 21, 6:00 AM AST to December 23, 5:00 AM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys

When: December 21, 2:00 PM AST to December 22, 11:30 PM AST
Where: Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Upper Yukon Valley

When: December 21, 5:00 PM AST to December 23, 5:00 PM AST
Where: Upper Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Lower Yukon Valley

When: December 21, 6:00 PM AST to December 22, 10:00 PM AST
Where: Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Tanana Valley

When: December 21, 9:00 PM AST to December 22, 10:00 AM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 1999

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: 5721022, 5721025, 5721024, 5721021, 5721023, 5721026.