Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 3 to 5, 2000

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 3 to 5, 2000
Start: 2000-12-03T21:35
End: 2000-12-05T15:00
Location: Alaska

December 3 to 5, 2000 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The fronts also produced strong east winds blowing down the Tanana River due to persisting High pressure over the eastern Tanana Valley and Western Canada. Delta Junction ASOS reported gusts to 53 mph.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Moderate Low pressure in the Bering Sea sent several weather fronts north over western Alaska, producing Blizzard conditions across Zone 1 at: Point Lay, Kuparuk, Deadhorse, and near-blizzard conditions at Barrow.The fronts also produced strong east winds blowing down the Tanana River due to persisting High pressure over the eastern Tanana Valley and Western Canada. Delta Junction ASOS reported gusts to 53 mph.

Event by event

1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Arctic Slope Coastal

When: December 3, 9:35 PM AST to December 5, 3:00 PM AST
Where: Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Tanana Valley

When: December 4, 7:00 PM AST to December 5, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Measured: 46 kt (53 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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.
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 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2000

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: 5177586, 5177587.