Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 15 to 17, 2004

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 15 to 17, 2004
Start: 2004-12-15T12:56
End: 2004-12-17T06:53
Location: Alaska

December 15 to 17, 2004 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

With low pressure in Bristol Bay and stationary strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean, northeast winds increased at Golovin as w weakening weather front moved north from the low. The remnants of this front created strong enough winds to produce blizzard conditions over the central Beaufort Sea coast, as reported at Kuparuk, Deadhorse, and Nuiqsut.

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.

With low pressure in Bristol Bay and stationary strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean, northeast winds increased at Golovin as w weakening weather front moved north from the low. High winds were reported by the Golovin AWOS with gusts to 64 knots (74 mph).The remnants of this front created strong enough winds to produce blizzard conditions over the central Beaufort Sea coast, as reported at Kuparuk, Deadhorse, and Nuiqsut.

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 15, 6:00 AM AST, 6 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 6:00 AM AST, 6 hours 56 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM AST WED DEC 15 2004

.DISCUSSION...

.ALOFT...RIDGE EXTENDING NORTH OVER WESTERN CANADA TO THE EASTERN
INTERIOR OF ALASKA WILL PERSIST...HOWEVER LOWS SWINGING RAPIDLY
NORTHEAST AROUND LONG WAVE BERING SEA LOW WILL AT TIMES FLATTEN
THE RIDGE. ONE LOW WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OVER WHITEHORSE THU AND
ANOTHER BROADER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE INTERIOR WILL
FLATTEN THE RIDGE SUN. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC CENTERED
NORTH OF WRANGEL ISLAND WILL DRIFT EAST DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS
THEN WILL RECENTER AGAIN NORTH OF WRANGEL ISLAND THIS WEEKEND.

.SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE SOUTH OF COLD BAY WILL MOVE NORTH. ON THU
AFTERNOON THE LOW WILL BE 977 MB NEAR NUNIVAK ISLAND. THE LOW WILL
BE 985 MB NEAR SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND FRI AFTERNOON. A SECOND LOW
WILL FORM OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WED NIGHT AND MOVE NORTH TO NEAR
WHITEHORSE BY THU AFTERNOON THE MOVE RAPIDLY EAST. A THIRD LOW
OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA FRI AFTERNOON WILL MOVE NORTH OF KODIAK
FRI NIGHT THEN OVER THE WESTERN INTERIOR TO KOTZEBUE BY SUN
MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC WILL PERSIST.

.NORTH SLOPE...

.WEST COAST...

.INTERIOR...

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WATCH 213/219 AND 220?
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING AREA 9B DALL POINT TO WALES
         SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AREA 9B DALL POINT TO WALES
         BRISK WIND ADVISORY:
            AREA 9A NORTON SOUND
            AREA 10B WALES TO CAPE LISBURNE
            AREA 11A CAPE LISBURNE TO CAPE HALKETT

DA DEC 04

Event by event

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

High Wind, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: December 15, 12:56 PM AST to 4:56 PM AST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: December 16, 2:53 PM AST to December 17, 6:53 AM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast 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: 5432413, 5432414.