Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 19 to 20, 2005

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, December 19 to 20, 2005
Start: 2005-12-19T23:35
End: 2005-12-20T05:55
Location: Alaska

December 19 to 20, 2005 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 1 county or zone

With a strong pressure gradient over far western Alaska, a weak trough of low pressure at the surface moved west across Norton Sound and caused winds to increase more over Saint Lawrence Island, resulting in winds gusting to 52 knots (60 mph) and likely blizzard conditions, both reported by the AWOS at Gambell.

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 19, 2:22 PM AST, 9 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 19, 2:22 PM AST, 9 hours 13 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
222 PM AST MON DEC 19 2005

.DISCUSSION...
THE MODELS ARE PRETTY SIMILAR ON THE WHOLE. WE ARE ESSENTIALLY
USING THE ETA (DUE MOSTLY TO ITS OVERALL BETTER HANDLING OF WIND
REGIMES)...BUT WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS. ETA HANDLING OF THE LITTLE
LOW NEAR BARROW LOOKS BETTER BUT STILL NOT QUITE DEEP ENOUGH. WE
WILL KEEP IT DEEPER TONIGHT AND ALSO TWEAK UP THE MODELED SURFACE
WINDS...NOTABLY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE THING IN THE COLD AIR
ADVECTION.

THE OLD OCCLUSION (TROUGH ALOFT) MOVING ASHORE OVER THE NORTH
BRISTOL BAY COAST AT THIS TIME IS POORLY DEFINED AT THE SURFACE
EVEN NOW AND WONT GET ANY BETTER. WE DO EXPECT IT TO INCREASE
THE WINDS OVER ZONES 211/12 AND AREA 220 THOUGH...WITH PROBABLY
A BIT OF SNOW FOR 211 AT LEAST. THE SNOWFALL MOVING IN CERTAINLY
WONT IMPROVE THINGS IN 213 EITHER (WHERE A WINTER STORM WARNING
REMAINS IN EFFECT).

MODELS CONTINUE TO LOOK OK THROUGH WED. THE GFS HAS ITS USUAL
TROUBLES LIFTING OUT (WED NIGHT / THU) THE LOW (PRESENTLY OVER
THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF ALASKA) THAT WILL BE MOVING
INTO THE NORTHERN GULF ON WED. WE PREFER A FASTER ETA/ECMF SOLUTION
HERE.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ213.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ207.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ220-PKZ225.

STORM WARNING FOR PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ225.
&&

DJH DEC 05

Event by event

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

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: December 19, 11:35 PM AST to December 20, 3:55 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: December 20, 2:15 AM AST to 5:55 AM 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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 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: 5484890, 5484889.