Blizzard, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast
- When
- January 6, 3:00 PM AST to January 7, 6:00 AM AST
- Where
- St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 6 to 8, 2000
Strong Low in the Gulf of Alaska and slowly building High pressure over Russia Far East caused winds to increase at certain locations over the west coast of Alaska, namely Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, and Kivalina north of the Lower Kobuk Valley.
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.
Strong Low in the Gulf of Alaska and slowly building High pressure over Russia Far East caused winds to increase at certain locations over the west coast of Alaska, namely Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, and Kivalina north of the Lower Kobuk Valley. Blizzard conditions also occurred at Gambel during this time. Highest winds were: Kivalina ASOS 47 mph sustained, gust 52 mph.Gambell AWOS 51 mph sustained, gust 58 mph.
Event by event
2 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast
- When
- January 6, 4:00 PM AST to January 8, 6:00 AM AST
- Where
- St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
High Wind, Lower Kobuk Valley-Northern Seward Peninsula
- When
- January 7, 2:00 AM AST to 1:00 PM AST
- Where
- Lower Kobuk Valley-Northern Seward Peninsula forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 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
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 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: 5129821, 5129820, 5129819.