Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 28 to 31, 1999

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 28 to 31, 1999
Start: 1999-12-28T21:24
End: 1999-12-31T23:59
Location: Alaska

December 28 to 31, 1999 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 1 county or zone

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Large low pressure 600 miles northeast of Prudhoe Bay drifted southwest to 450 miles northeast of Prudhoe Bay with a weather front moving southeast over the Beaufort Sea. Strong high pressure remaining over Russia Far East created strong winds and blizzard conditions over the eastern Arctic Coast, along with low wind chills initially. Event continued into January 2000.Blizzard conditions occurred at: Deadhorse, Barter Island, Kuparuk.High wind occurred at Barter Island: 67 mph sustained, gust to 78 mph.Lowest Wind Chill reported: Barter Island -88; Deadhorse -90; Nuiqsut -87.

Event by event

1 cold/wind chill, 1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Arctic Slope Coastal

When: December 28, 9:24 PM AST to December 29, 1:00 PM AST
Where: Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Arctic Slope Coastal

When: December 29, 6:15 AM AST to December 31, 2:00 PM AST
Where: Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Arctic Slope Coastal

When: December 29, 11:00 AM AST to December 31, 11:59 PM AST
Where: Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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

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: 5721029, 5721028, 5721027.