Blizzard and Ice Storm in Alaska, November 17, 2001

A moderate ridge, building northwestward from Canadian British Columbia into Prince William Sound, accompanied by moderate pressure rises (2.5 - 4.5 mbs/hour) and a northwestward moving arctic front in the area, produced locally very gusty easterly winds around Turnagain Arm, along higher elevations of the mountains east of Anchorage and along much of the Matanuska River. Anchorage Daily News reported "Skiers who made the trip to Girdwood for opening day at Alyeska Resort encountered rain at lower elevations and winds gusting to 60 mph at the top of the mountain, enough to close the tram and Chair 6, though other lifts stayed open.Reported winds around Cordova reached 47 mph at the airport, 60 to 65 mph at the Orca Bay exit buoy and also around Bligh Reef. Peak winds at Seal Island gusted as high as 67 mph between 4 pm AST and 5 pm AST Sat. Temperatures at Seal Island rose form the mid 30s around noon to the mid 40s Saturday night, and wind directions went from northeast to southeast as the arctic front moved through during the late afternoon.Thompson Pass blizzard warning was determined to be a hit. The Valdez Weather Service Office reported, at about 6 pm AST Saturday that there were "poor driving conditions and low visibilities in the Pass, with 10" of new snow. Although wind was reportedly light at the DOC camp, it was windy in channeled areas." Another 8" of snow fell thereafter in the Pass for a total of 18".Anchorage Daily news reported a headline of "Ice storm glazes the Glenn (highway)". Sub headline read "Freezing rain halts traffic, coats highway,m local roads in slick sheaths." In the article, "Eagle River got the worst of it (freezing rain). Starting about 5 p.m. the northbound Glenn Highway backed up after motorists lost traction on the Eagle River hill. Scores of cars, with estimates ranging from 30 to 75, also got stuck on Eagle River Loop road, further jamming the Glenn at the Hiland Road exit. Police struggled to get sanding trucks in place. Tow trucks got stuck. The National Weather service issued a freezing rain warning at 5:30 pm after a meteorologist reported a quarter-inch of ice coating her car in Birchwood. Most of Anchorage got a thin coating of freezing rain, as did Palmer. Alaska State Troopers reported a few minor accidents in Palmer and Wasilla." Qualifying warning conditions were:Zone 101 - North gust 97 mph (williwaw) 8 pm AST Saturday, 11/17/01.Zone 111 - Northeast gust of 66 mph reported between 2:30 pm AST and 3:00 pm AST Sat 11/17/01.Zone 125 - East gust of 61 mph reported at the Portage ASOS between 6:53 pm AST and 7:42 AST Saturday, 11/17/01.Zone 135 - Estimated east gust 70 mph in Cordova City around 3pm AST Saturday 11/17/01.Zone 131 - Based on correspondence from the Weather Service Office in Valdez, blizzard conditions were met around 6 pm AST Saturday.Zones 101 & 111 - Freezing rain warning criteria met around 5:30 pm AST Saturday. Damage, due to car crunches/suspension damage around $30K.