Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 16 to 18, 2005

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 16 to 18, 2005
Start: 2005-01-16T12:00
End: 2005-01-18T11:30
Location: Alaska

January 16 to 18, 2005 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 AFC wrote it up.

Strong high pressure and deep cold air over the eastern interior of Alaska along with a large low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska resulted in strong outflow wind through the channeled terrain of the Chugach mountains. Recent snow in the Chugach Mountains in the vicinity of Thompson Pass was suspended in the strong wind creating blizzard conditions in the pass. The wind peaked at 93 mph in the Wasilla area at the Cottonwood Creek Public Safety building. A tractor Trailer was blow on to its side on the north bound off-ramp of the Parks Highway on to Trunk Road. The wind gusts were estimated between 80-100 mph out of the Copper River Delta just east of Cordova.

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 16, 12:00 PM AST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 12:00 PM AST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION SOUTHWEST ALASKA
1200 PM AST SUN JAN 16 2005

.DISCUSSION...HIGH PRESSURE OVER NORTHERN ALASKA WITH A LARGE LOW
COMPLEX OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC NORTH TO THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN AND GULF
OF ALASKA. AN ARCTIC BOUNDARY DIVIDES THE TWO FEATURES ALONG THE
SOUTH CENTRAL COAST TO SOUTHWEST ALASKA. THIS IS CREATING A MODERATE
TO STRONG SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT ALONG THE SOUTH CENTRAL COAST
ALLOWING FOR THE INCREASE IN NORTHERLY SURFACE WINDS. SKIES ARE CLEAR
TO THE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING OVER SOUTH
CENTRAL NEAR THE KNIK AND MATANUSKA RIVERS. SHOWERS MOVING WITH
DISTURBANCES CIRCULATING THE LOW COMPLEX. MODERATE TO STRONG
NORTHEAST WINDS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA.

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING SOUTH THROUGH THE YUKON TODAY WITH A RIDGE
OVER THE WEST COAST OF THE LOWER 48. THE RIDGE WILL IMPEDE THE
SOUTHERLY PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER LOW. THIS WILL ALLOW THE UPPER LOW
TO DIG SOUTHWEST OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA MONDAY BEFORE SETTLING IN
THE WESTERN GULF TUESDAY. IN THE MEANTIME...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA GETS SQUEEZED INTO THE BERING SEA BY
MONDAY.

THIS SCENARIO WILL CREATE A STRONG WIND EVENT THROUGH THE COPPER
RIVER DELTA AND THOMPSON PASS AREAS BEGINNING LATER TODAY AND
TONIGHT. THERE IS SOME UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW
MORNING IN THE MEANS OF COLD AIR ADVECTION AS WELL AS MODERATE
NORTHERLY WINDS ALOFT. AT THE SURFACE...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE
DEEPENS THROUGH MONDAY INTENSIFYING THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT
ALONG THE SOUTH CENTRAL GULF COAST. AS THE UPPER LOW DIGS INTO THE
WESTERN GULF MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT
BECOMES UNFAVORABLE FOR A STRONG EVENT. HOWEVER...A 980 MB LOW
DEVELOPS IN THE NORTHERN GULF KEEPING THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT
VERY FAVORABLE ENOUGH FOR POSSIBLE LOW END WARNING CRITERIA THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING. IN ADDITION TO THESE AREAS...MODERATE TO STRONG
NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE MATANUSKA VALLEY WILL BE PRESENT
BEGINNING TONIGHT AND REMAINING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.

A LARGE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN
CHAIN TO SLOWLY MOVE EAST AND JOIN WITH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IN THE
WESTERN GULF BY TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL REDEVELOP A SURFACE LOW OVER
THE GULF. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE WESTERN BERING
TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT AND SLOWLY MOVES
THROUGH THE BERING SEA THROUGH THURSDAY. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IN THE
NORTHERN PACIFIC IN PHASE WITH THIS TROUGH IN THE BERING SEA WILL
EVENTUALLY PUSH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF INLAND
THURSDAY WITH THE SURFACE LOW FOLLOWING THEN DISSIPATING FRIDAY.
PRECIP ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA WILL BE CONFINED TO THE EAST OF
THE UPPER LEVEL LOW MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. PRECIP WILL
BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD TO SOUTH CENTRAL THURSDAY WHEN THE LOW WORKS
INLAND. OVER THE BERING SEA...MOST PRECIP WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. HOWEVER...AN EASTERLY WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY TO MEET UP WITH THE FRONT
TUESDAY IN THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY ZONE 131
         HIGH WIND WARNING BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON ZONE 135
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 2B1 2C 3A 4 4A 8 14
         GALE WARNING 3A 3C 4 5A
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

JN JAN 05

Event by event

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

High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd

When: January 16, 12:00 PM AST to January 18, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Measured: 78 kt (90 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd

When: January 16, 5:00 PM AST to January 18, 5:00 AM AST
Where: Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Matanuska Valley

When: January 17, 4:30 PM AST to January 18, 11:30 AM AST
Where: Matanuska Valley forecast zone
Measured: 81 kt (93 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $10,000
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, January 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: 5433613, 5433611, 5433612.