Blizzard in Alaska, December 18 to 19, 2004

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, December 18 to 19, 2004
Start: 2004-12-18T13:50
End: 2004-12-19T15:50
Location: Alaska

December 18 to 19, 2004 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

With strong high pressure covering the Arctic Ocean, a trough of low pressure developed over the inland north slope and increased winds to produce blizzard conditions at Nuiqsut and Kuparuk (zone 203) and at Wainwright (zone 201).

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.

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 18, 6:00 AM AST, 7 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 6:00 AM AST, 7 hours 50 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM AST SAT DEC 18 2004

.DISCUSSION...

THE HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN OVER THE STATE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
THE FORECAST PERIOD. UPPER LOWS WILL DO THEIR BEST TO HAMMER AWAY
AT THE RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. AND CANADA BUT MODELS HAVING A
DIFFICULT TIME RESOLVING FINER DETAILS.

A 980 MB SURFACE LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL SLOWLY MOVE NORTH
AND STALL AS IT TRIES TO CROSS THE ALASKA RANGE. THE 700 MB LOW
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IS A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE WEST AND
WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE WESTERN INTERIOR TO THE NORTHWEST
COAST BY SUNDAY NIGHT. AS IT DOES SO...WINDS WILL REMAIN SOUTHERLY
ACROSS THE ALASKA RANGE AND INTERIOR FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS KEEPING
TEMPERATURES MILD.

AS THE 700 MB LOW MOVES INTO THE WESTERN INTERIOR LATE TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST WHICH WILL BRING A THE
THREAT FOR LIGHT SNOWFALL OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR.
HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS NORTH OF BARROW WHICH WILL KEEP EAST WINDS
GOING THROUGH AT LEAST 60 HOURS.

AFTER THIS BRIEF RELAXATION OF THE RIDGE...IT BUILDS BACK IN BY
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. ONE QUESTION CONTINUES TO BE THE
SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF COLD AIR THAT IS PARKED NORTHWEST OF THE
STATE. EXACT PLACEMENT OF THE RIDGE AND UPPER LOW WILL MAKE ALL
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EXTENDED TEMPERATURES.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...WINTER STORM WARNING...ZONE 204
         WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...ZONES 201 202 AND 203
         WIND ADVISORY...ZONE 223
MARINE...AREA 9B...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT
                   SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT
         AREA 10A...BRISK WIND ADVISORY TODAY
         AREA 11A...BRISK WIND ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT
         AREA 11B...BRISK WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT
                    GALE WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT

AT DEC 04

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: December 18, 1:50 PM AST to December 19, 3:50 PM AST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When: December 19, 5:33 AM AST to 9:48 AM AST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
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.

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: 5432415, 5432416.