Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, April 20 to 23, 2005

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, April 20 to 23, 2005
Start: 2005-04-20T18:35
End: 2005-04-23T17:03
Location: Alaska

April 20 to 23, 2005 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Zone 226: US Army Mesonet stations: Texas Co-op: gusts to 55 knots (63 mph); Texas Range: gusts to 52 knots (60 mph). Blizzard conditions were likely at Cape Romanzof in zone 214 as the associated low pressure center approached the area on the 20th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

A strong weather front moved north from the Gulf of Alaska producing high south winds through Alaska Range Passes, as reported at:Zone 223: Delta Junction ASOS: gust to 62 knots (71 mph).Zone 225: Amateur Radio observer: gusts to 58 knots (67 mph).Zone 226: US Army Mesonet stations: Texas Co-op: gusts to 55 knots (63 mph); Texas Range: gusts to 52 knots (60 mph). Blizzard conditions were likely at Cape Romanzof in zone 214 as the associated low pressure center approached the area on the 20th.

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 Apr 20, 1:30 PM AST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 20, 1:30 PM AST, 5 hours 5 minutes before

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT WED APR 20 2005

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR...A 487 DM LOW NEAR 82N/180E WILL ROTATE EASTWARD AND
WEAKEN TONIGHT THROUGH THU. A 526 MB LOW OVER NORTON SOUND WILL
DISSIPATE THU AS RIDGE BUILDS FROM THE SOUTHEAST. ANOTHER LOW WILL
MOVE NORTH ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE RIDGE AND WILL BE 517 DM
NEAR THE BERING STRAIT FRI AFTERNOON. ON SAT AFTERNOON...A TROUGH
WILL EXTEND FROM SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND TO SOUTH OF KODIAK ISLAND.
THE TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE INTERIOR SAT NIGHT THROUGH SUN.
BY SUN AFTERNOON THE TROUGH WILL BE EAST OF THE ALCAN BORDER. A
RIDGE WILL BUILD IN OVER THE INTERIOR SUN AND SUN NIGHT.

SURFACE...A 993 MB ARCTIC LOW NEAR 78N/152W WILL WEAKEN AND MOVE
NORTHEAST TONIGHT. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY SEPARATING THE EASTERN
INTERIOR FROM THE WEST WILL WEAKEN TONIGHT THROUGH THU. A 965 MB
LOW WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE ALEUTIANS THU EVENING AND WILL BE 988
MB OVER NORTON SOUND FRI AFTERNOON. THE LOW WILL WEAKEN AS IT
MOVES NORTH OF BARROW SAT. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE
INTERIOR SAT AFTERNOON AND MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN YUKON
TERRITORY SUN MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN OVER THE
INTERIOR SUN AND MOVE EAST INTO THE YUKON TERRITORY SUN NIGHT.
OVER THE BERING SEA...AN OCCLUDED FRONT WELL AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE
OVER THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE WEST COAST SUN
THROUGH MON.

NORTH SLOPE...WEST WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE
TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE IN THE ARCTIC MOVES NORTHEAST. WINDS WILL
BECOME LIGHT ON THU THEN EAST ON FRI AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH
ALONG THE WEST COAST. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TEMPERATURES FRI
AND FRI NIGHT.

WEST COAST...NORTHEAST WINDS MAY BECOME GALE OVER THE SAINT
LAWRENCE ISLAND MARINE AREA THU NIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH
ALONG THE WEST COAST. AREAS OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL COVER
MUCH OF THE WEST COAST ZONES THU NIGHT AND FRI. WINDS WILL SHIFT
AND THEN DIMINISH FRI NIGHT THROUGH SAT AS THE LOW MOVES NORTH OF
BARROW. AN OCCLUDED FRONT MOVING RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN
BERING SEA WILL GIVE ANOTHER BURST OF WINDS AND SNOW SUN THROUGH
MON.

INTERIOR...RIDGE BUILDING OVER WESTERN CANADA AND LOW MOVING NORTH
OVER THE WEST COAST WILL CAUSE STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE
ALASKA RANGE THU NIGHT THROUGH SAT. A WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT
BEGINNING THU NIGHT. A COLD FRONT MAY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE
INTERIOR SAT NIGHT AND SUN AS TROUGH MOVES EAST ACROSS THE AREA.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WATCH:
            ZONE 225 DENALI
            ZONE 226 EASTERN ALASKA RANGE
         WIND ADVISORY:
            ZONE 223 DELTANA AND TANANA FLATS
            ZONE 226 EASTERN ALASKA RANGE
MARINE...NONE

DA APR 05

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: April 20, 6:35 PM AST to 8:55 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Denali

When: April 21, 6:00 PM AST to April 22, 3:00 PM AST
Where: Denali forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

High Wind, Deltana and Tanana

When: April 21, 7:36 PM AST to April 23, 5:03 PM AST
Where: Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When: April 21, 8:15 PM AST to April 22, 2:00 AM AST
Where: Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
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.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, April 2005

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: 5446604, 5446601, 5446603, 5446602.