Avalanche in Alaska, December 26 to 27, 2008

Name: Avalanche in Alaska, December 26 to 27, 2008
Start: 2008-12-26T05:00
End: 2008-12-27T05:00
Location: Alaska

December 26 to 27, 2008 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong north wind produced by a strong low in the Gulf of Alaska resulted in re suspension of snow. The resulting blowing snow produce blizzard conditions through Thompson Pass.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 north wind produced by a strong low in the Gulf of Alaska resulted in re suspension of snow. The resulting blowing snow produce blizzard conditions through Thompson Pass.

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 Dec 26, 5:00 AM AKST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 5:00 AM AKST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
500 AM AKST FRI DEC 26 2008

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER THROUGH 156 HOURS. ALSO
GOOD RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY. GFS OPERATIONAL CHOICE.

.UPPER LEVELS...
PREDOMINANT FEATURES ALOFT THROUGH 60 HOURS ARE A DEEPENING LONG WAVE
TROUGH OVER MAINLAND ALASKA AND THE GULF OF ALASKA AND A
STRENGTHENING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL BERING SEA.

.SURFACE FEATURES...
A 973 MB LOW JUST SOUTH OF THE EASTERN GULF COAST WILL DRIFT
SOUTHWARD AND WEAKEN TO 989 MB BY SUN MORNING. A RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE CENTRAL BERING SEA BY THIS AFTERNOON AND
THEN PERSIST INTO THE COMING WEEK. A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER FRONT WILL
MOVE INTO THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS FRIDAY NIGHT THEN STALL OUT AND
GRADUALLY DISSIPATE BY SUN EVENING.

.SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...
SNOW TAPERING OFF THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL AND
SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA. WINDS HAVE SHIFTED TO THE NORTHWEST AND ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY THIS MORNING.
GAP WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN TODAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND
FOR SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA. BLIZ CONDS FORECAST TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING
IN SNOW SHOWERS AND BLOWING SNOW THROUGH PORTAGE VALLEY...IN
WHITTIER...AND THROUGH THOMPSON PASS.

.SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA...
KUSKOKWIM SNOW EVENT IS RAPDILY TAPERING OFF. UNFORTUNATELY NO RECENT
SPOTTER REPORTS BUT STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ESTIMATED TO BE
AROUND 6 INCHES. GUSTY NORTH WINDS COMBINED WITH SCATTERED SNOW
SHOWERS TODAY WILL DECREASE VISIBILITIES ALONG THE COAST THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON. SKIES CLEARING THIS EVENING...BUT GUSTY WINDS PERSISTING
THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEKEND.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZ 125 135.
MARINE...GALES 120 121 129 160 165 170 171 175 176 179 180
         STORMS 130 132 138 140 141 150 155
         HEAVY SPRAY 129 130 132 138 140 141 150 160 165 180 185
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

ASB DEC 08

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, Nern P.W. Snd

When: December 26, 5:00 AM AKST to December 27, 5:00 AM AKST
Where: Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways

What these are

Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2008

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: 139502.