Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 11 to 13, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 11 to 13, 2004
Start: 2004-12-11T04:15
End: 2004-12-13T14:55
Location: Alaska

December 11 to 13, 2004 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 1 county or zone

High Winds reported at:Zone 213: Gambell AWOS gust 58 knots (67 mph). Tin City AWOS gust 53 knots (61 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.

The weather front from a strong low near the Pribilofs moved north and created strong winds over the outer waters of western Alaska, and likely blizzard conditions at Tin City.High Winds reported at:Zone 213: Gambell AWOS gust 58 knots (67 mph). Tin City AWOS gust 53 knots (61 mph).

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.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 10, 2:30 PM AST, 13 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 2:30 PM AST, 13 hours 45 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM AST FRI DEC 10 2004

.DISCUSSION...THE WEATHER OVER NORTHERN ALASKA LOOKS LIKE IT WILL
TURN RATHER MILD AND BLUSTERY AS S-LY FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED
OVER MAINLAND ALASKA FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS BETWEEN LOW
PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA AND STRONG RIDGING BUILDING
N-WARD ALONG THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. THE 1ST IN A SERIES
OF STRONG SURFACE LOW CENTERS THAT WILL BE AFFECTING THE WEATHER
OVER NORTHERN ALASKA IS NOW MOVING VERY SLOWLY E-WARD ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN BERING SEA TOWARD BRISTOL BAY. THIS LOW IS NOT EXPECTED
TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE SOUTHWEST ALASKA COAST UNTIL AT LEAST
SUN NIGHT OR MON.

A STRENGTHENING PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS LOW AND HIGH
PRESSURE OVER THE RUSSIAN HIGH ARCTIC WILL INCREASE THE WINDS OVER
ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND ALONG THE NORTHWEST ALASKA COAST TONIGHT
AND SAT WITH THE WINDS CONTINUING INTO SUN NIGHT OR EVEN MON. THE
COMBINATION OF THE WIND AND FALLING/BLOWING SNOW WILL LIKELY
PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN SPOTS. WIDESPREAD LIGHT SNOW IS
EXPECTED TO SPREAD N-WARD OVER THE WESTERN 2/3 OF MAINLAND ALASKA
TONIGHT AND SUN AS AN OCCLUDED FRONT MOVES OVER THE STATE. A FEW
INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL TONIGHT AND SAT OVER SOUTHWEST
ALASKA WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW IN FAVORABLE AREAS OF THE NULATO
HILLS. STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THROUGH ALASKA RANGE
PASSES SAT THROUGH SUN AS S-LY FLOW STRENGTHENS OVER THE
MOUNTAINS. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE INTO THE TEENS AND 20S OVER
THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR AS WARMER AIR IS ADVECTED OVER THE REGION.
SOME SNOW IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER THE NORTHERN INTERIOR SAT AND SUN
BUT THE DOWNSLOPE EFFECTS OF THE ALASKA WILL KEEP ANY SNOWFALL
QUITE LIGHT OVER THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR.

WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT ALONG THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
ARCTIC COAST THROUGH MON AS THE STRONGEST PRESSURE GRADIENT
REMAINS TO THE SOUTH. AFTER A SHORT BREAK IN THE WINDS AND
SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS MON AND MON NIGHT, WINDS AND TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE ONCE AGAIN TUE AND WED OF NEXT WEEK OVER
NORTHERN ALASKA AS AN EVEN STRONGER LOW CENTER MOVES N-WARD INTO
THE SOUTHEASTERN BERING SEA.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WATCH 225 AND 226 BEGINNING SAT. WIND/WINTER
WEATHER ADVY 207...211...212 TONIGHT. WINTER STORM WARNING 207 AND
213 BEGINNING SAT. WINTER STORM WARNING 214 BEGINNING TONIGHT.
MARINE...STORM 9B AND 10B. BRSK/SCA 9A...10A...11B. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY 9B.

MP DEC 04

Event by event

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

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: December 11, 4:15 AM AST to December 12, 12:36 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: December 11, 5:55 AM AST to December 13, 2:55 PM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2004

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: 5432411, 5432412.