Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 27 to 28, 2005

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, November 27 to 28, 2005
Start: 2005-11-27T06:36
End: 2005-11-28T04:55
Location: Alaska

November 27 to 28, 2005 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A low pressure center of 995 mb moved north over the central Bering Sea on the 27th and decelerated southwest of Gambell and weakened early on the morning of the 28th. Blizzard conditions were likely at:Zone 213 - Gambell AWOSZone 214 - Cape Romanzof AWOSHigh Winds occurred at zone 213 Gambell AWOS: gust to 52 knots (60 mph).

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 AFG wrote it up.

A low pressure center of 995 mb moved north over the central Bering Sea on the 27th and decelerated southwest of Gambell and weakened early on the morning of the 28th. The system brought high winds and likely blizzard conditions to several locations in far west Alaska.Blizzard conditions were likely at:Zone 213 - Gambell AWOSZone 214 - Cape Romanzof AWOSHigh Winds occurred at zone 213 Gambell AWOS: gust to 52 knots (60 mph).

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 Nov 27, 5:18 AM AST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 27, 5:18 AM AST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
518 AM AST SUN NOV 27 2005

.DISCUSSION...

ALOFT...RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING NORTH OVER THE WEST COAST WILL MOVE
EAST AND EXTEND NORTH OVER FAIRBANKS MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE RIDGE
WILL WEAKEN AND BY TUESDAY MORNING WILL BE BARELY NOTICEABLE OVER
THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR. LOW PRESSURE MOVING EAST ALONG THE ARCTIC
COAST WILL SWEEP A TROUGH EAST ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE TODAY
THROUGH MONDAY. LOW PRESSURE OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE
SOUTHEAST. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN BERING SEA WILL
MOVE NORTH OVER RUSSIA ON MONDAY AS PACIFIC RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD
NORTHWARD. BY WEDNESDAY...THE PACIFIC RIDGE AXIS WILL EXTEND
NORTH FROM THE PACIFIC THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT AND INTO THE
CHUKCHI SEA.

SURFACE...A 1010 MB LOW 500 MILES NORTHEAST OF POINT BARROW WILL
MOVE NORTHEAST AND WEAKEN OVER FAR NORTHERN CANADA ON MONDAY.
LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN BERING SEA WILL NEAR
NORTH OVER EASTERN RUSSIA ON MONDAY THEN WEAKEN AND DISSIPATE OVER
BERING STRAIT TUESDAY NIGHT. AN ASSOCIATED WEATHER FRONT WILL
MOVE EAST ACROSS THE EASTERN BERING SEA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM THE CHUKCHI SEA TO NORTON SOUND AND TO
BRISTOL BAY MONDAY AFTERNOON. BUILDING HIGH OVER THE INTERIOR WILL
WEAKEN ON ITS WESTERN SIDE AS BERING SEA FRONT MOVES INLAND. HIGH
PRESSURE COVERING MUCH OF THE ARCTIC NORTHWEST OF WRANGEL ISLAND
WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY BUT BUILD SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH
TUESDAY. A RIDGE EXTENDING FROM THE HIGH MAY BE BUILDING INTO THE
NORTHERN INTERIOR ON WEDNESDAY. FOR THE GULF OF ALASKA...LOW
PRESSURE WILL WEAKEN AND MOVE SOUTHEAST.

NORTH SLOPE...WINDS WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT AND MONDAY AS LOW
PRESSURE OVER THE ARCTIC MOVES NORTHEAST. A FRONT MOVING ACROSS
THE CHUKCHI SEA TONIGHT MAY BRING SOME SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW TO
THE POINT HOPE AREA. OTHERWISE...ONLY FLURRIES SHOULD BE EXPECTED THROUGH
THURSDAY.

WEST COAST...GALES OVER THE SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND MARINE AREA ARE
EXPECTED TO END MONDAY MORNING AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. BLOWING SNOW
WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH MONDAY. THE FRONT WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW
WITH ACCUMULATIONS MAINLY LESS THAN ONE INCH FOR THE WEST COAST ON
MONDAY. FLURRIES WILL LINGER TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THEN RIDGE
EXTENDING FROM HIGH NORTHWEST OF WRANGEL ISLAND WILL DRY OUT THE
AREA NORTH AND EAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND ON WEDNESDAY. WINDS
MAY INCREASE OVER SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND BY WEDNESDAY EVENING AS LOW
OVER WESTERN BERING SEA DEEPENS.

INTERIOR...COLDER TEMPERATURES IN VALLEYS AND FLATS WILL BECOME
MORE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE INTERIOR TODAY AND TONIGHT AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS. THE WESTERN INTERIOR WILL WARM SOMEWHAT BY MONDAY
NIGHT AS CLOUD COVER INCREASES WITH APPROACH OF BERING SEA FRONT.
THE FRONT MAY EVEN BRING SOME FLURRIES AND CLOUDS TO THE CENTRAL
AND EAST INTERIOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE EXTREME
SOUTHEAST INTERIOR COULD REMAIN CLEAR.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR AKZ213.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ210.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ220.
&&

RF/DA NOV 05

Event by event

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

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: November 27, 6:36 AM AST to November 28, 1:00 AM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: November 27, 7:16 AM AST to November 28, 4:55 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: November 27, 10:36 AM AST to 11:36 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 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, November 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: 5481436, 5481435, 5481437.