Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast
- When
- April 12, 9:01 AM AST to 10:53 AM AST
- Where
- Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard in Alaska, April 12, 2002
During the passage of a warm front local areas of snow and blowing snow developed along the Chukchi Sea Coast. Blizzard conditions were briefly met at Kivalina as the front passed.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
During the passage of a warm front local areas of snow and blowing snow developed along the Chukchi Sea Coast. Blizzard conditions were briefly met at Kivalina as the front passed.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:30 AM AST, 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 930 AM ADT FRI APR 12 2002 AKZ218-219-220-221-222-223-225-122300- SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE INCLUDING ARCTIC VILLAGE - WISEMAN - COLDFOOT - DALTON HIGHWAY MILEPOST 160 TO 245 UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY INCLUDING ALLAKAKET - HUGHES - BETTLES - DALTON HIGHWAY MILEPOST 90 TO 160 YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS INCLUDING FORT YUKON - VENETIE - BEAVER - STEVENS VILLAGE - CHALKYITSIK - BIRCH CREEK - STEESE HIGHWAY NORTHEAST OF SOURDOUGH TO CIRCLE CITY - DALTON HIGHWAY FROM NEAR LIVENGOOD TO MILEPOST 90 WESTERN TANANA VALLEY AND YUKON VALLEY RAMPART TO LOWER NOWITNA RIVER INCLUDING NENANA - TANANA - MINTO - RAMPART - LAKE MINCHUMINA - ELLIOTT HIGHWAY LIVENGOOD TO MANLEY HOT SPRINGS - PARKS HIGHWAY NENANA TO ANDERSON MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY INCLUDING FAIRBANKS - CHENA HOT SPRINGS ROAD - PARKS HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR NENANA - RICHARDSON HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR SALCHA - STEESE HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO SOURDOUGH - ELLIOTT HIGHWAY FAIRBANKS TO NEAR LIVENGOOD DELTANA - TANANA FLATS INCLUDING DELTA JUNCTION - ALASKA HIGHWAY DELTA JUNCTION TO DOT LAKE - RICHARDSON HIGHWAY SALCHA TO DONNELLY DOME 930 PM ADT FRI APR 12 2002 ...A COLD SPRING MORNING IN THE INTERIOR... A COLD AIRMASS OVER THE INTERIOR OF ALASKA COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES TO PRODUCE NEAR RECORD COLD TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT IN THE INTERIOR. SOME OVER NIGHT LOWS AROUND THE INTERIOR... FAIRBANKS -11 LIVENGOOD -19 SALCHA RIVER -24 DENALI PARK -11 DELTA JUNCTION -7 (NEW RECORD LOW) BETTLES -19 (NEW RECORD LOW) TANANA -13 CHANDALAR LAKE -26 ARCTIC VILLAGE -24 THE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE TODAY...BUT STILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND. JB APR 02
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:45 AM AST, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 945 AM ADT FRI APR 12 2002 AKZ202-203-122300- NORTHERN ARCTIC COAST INCLUDING BARROW CENTRAL BEAUFORT SEA COAST INCLUDING PRUDHOE BAY - DEADHORSE - KUPARUK - NUIQSUT - DALTON HIGHWAY MILEPOST 378 TO 414 945 AM ADT FRI APR 12 2002 ...VERY COLD OVERNIGHT FROM BARROW TO DEADHORSE... A VERY COLD AIRMASS COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES TO ALLOW OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 20S BELOW FROM BARROW TO DEADHORSE. BARROW HAD A LOW OF -24 WHILE DEADHORSE WAS -29. TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE TO ZERO OR ABOVE TODAY AS SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MOVE EAST ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE. JB APR 02
Event by event
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in Florida, April 12, 2002
- Flooding in Michigan, April 12 to 20, 2002
- Hail in Texas, April 12 to 13, 2002
- Flood in Wisconsin, April 12 to 19, 2002
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 12, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Indiana, April 12, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, April 12, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Michigan, April 12, 2002
- Hail in Texas, April 12, 2002
- Lightning Strike in Michigan, April 12, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 12 to 13, 2002
- Hail in Texas, April 12, 2002
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2002
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: 5288554.