Alaska, 2008Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, January 26, 2008
January 26, 2008 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones
The combination of high pressure in the interior and a low in the northern Gulf of Alaska created a tight pressure gradient over the North Gulf Coast of Alaska. The combined strong pressure gradient and cold air out flow from the interior along with a one and a half feet of new snow in the pass resulted in high winds over 100 mph re suspending the snow creating a blizzard in Thompson Pass.
- 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.
The combination of high pressure in the interior and a low in the northern Gulf of Alaska created a tight pressure gradient over the North Gulf Coast of Alaska. The combined strong pressure gradient and cold air out flow from the interior along with a one and a half feet of new snow in the pass resulted in high winds over 100 mph re suspending the snow creating a blizzard in 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 Jan 26, 12:20 AM AKST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 12:20 AM AKST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
520 AM AST SAT JAN 26 2008
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS SOLUTIONS DOING WELL IN AGREEMENT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MILD
DIFFERENCES COME ABOUT WHEN A TRIPLE POINT LOW FORMS OFF OF THE
WESTERN BERING LOW SUNDAY NIGHT. MODELS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE
THIS WILL OCCUR AT FIRST...THE EUROPEAN MODELS WANT TO PUSH IT
FARTHER EAST NEAR KODIAK AND THE GFS AND NAM WANT TO HOLD IT BACK
OVER BRISTOL BAY. AFTER THIS DISAGREEMENT ALL MODELS HAVE THE LOW
WEAKEN IN THE GULF. HAVE FOLLOWED GFS GUIDANCE TO FORM FIRST IN
BRISTOL BAY DUE TO AGREEMENT IN THE UPPER LEVEL ENERGY PATTERN.
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WHICH SUPPORTED THE GULF LOW THAT BROUGHT SNOW
TO SOUTHCENTRAL YESTERDAY...INCLUDING A DAILY RECORD AMOUNT AT THE
ANCHORAGE AIRPORT...HAS NOW MOVED EAST OF THE ALCAN BORDER. AN UPPER
RIDGE IS OVER WESTERN ALASKA AND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST. MOST OF
THE MAINLAND IS UNDER CLEAR SKIES AND STRONG COLD ADVECTION THIS
MORNING DUE TO THIS RIDGE AND THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE HIGH. A
VERTICALLY STACKED LOW BETWEEN THE KAMCHATKA PENINSULA AND THE
WESTERN ALEUTIANS IS PUSHING ITS STRONG WARM FRONT...CURRENTLY OVER
THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS...EAST ACROSS THE CHAIN.
.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
SOUTH AND EAST OF THE ALASKA RANGE...THE SURFACE HIGH CURRENTLY OVER
THE INTERIOR WILL MOVE EAST ALONG WITH THE GULF LOW NEAR YAKUTAT. THE
PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THESE FEATURES WILL REMAIN TODAY THEN START
WEAKENING TONIGHT. THIS WILL KEEP THE VERY STRONG NORTHERLY GAP WINDS
TODAY INCLUDING THE WARNING LEVEL WINDS THROUGH THOMPSON PASS AND
COPPER RIVER DELTA. TONIGHT AND TOMORROW WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS
WITH CONTINUED CLEAR SKIES AS THE RIDGE IS RIGHT OVERHEAD. HOWEVER
KODIAK ISLAND WILL SEE EFFECTS OF THE WESTERN BERING FRONT AS IT
MOVES OVER THE ISLAND SUNDAY MORNING RAISING TEMPERATURES A LITTLE
AND BRINGING MAINLY SNOW AND GUSTY EAST WINDS. THE FRONTAL BAND WILL
MOVE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND BRING MORE PRECIPITATION TO SOUTHCENTRAL
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.
WESTERN MAINLAND AND ALASKA PENINSULA...CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING WILL
COME TO AN END THROUGH THE DAY AS THE CIRRUS SHIELD OF THE FRONT
SPREADS EAST. AS THE FRONT NEARS...COASTAL AREAS WILL SEE WINDS
INCREASE AND SNOW BEGINNING TO REACH THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA THIS
AFTERNOON THEN THE PENINSULA TONIGHT. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED ALONG THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA COAST AND THE WESTERN CAPES
THROUGH TONIGHT...THEN DIMINISH AS THE WARMER TEMPERATURES AND A
DECREASE IN WIND SPEEDS OCCUR TOMORROW MORNING. SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER
THE REMAINDER OF WESTERN ALASKA THROUGH MONDAY.
BERING/ALEUTIANS/PRIBILOFS...RAIN AND GALE FORCE WINDS WILL MOVE EAST
FROM THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL ALEUTIANS TODAY. WILL SEE COLDER AIR
LATER TODAY WRAPPING AROUND THE LOW TO RETURN PRECIPITATION TO SNOW
SHOWERS FOR THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS THEN EAST ALONG THE CHAIN TO THE
ALASKA PENINSULA BY SUNDAY NIGHT.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...
SNOW SHOWERS LOOK TO HANG AROUND SOUTHCENTRAL THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE
OLD FRONT WEAKENS. A NORTH PACIFIC LOW WILL TRAVEL NORTHEAST INTO THE
SOUTHERN GULF BY MID WEEK...HOWEVER WEAK RIDGING OVER THE MAINLAND
WILL KEEP MOST PRECIPITATION IN THE GULF OR SOME ALONG THE COASTAL
AREAS. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WEDNESDAY
MUCH LIKE THE CURRENT ONE BUT WILL NOT BE AS WARM.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD 131 155
HIGH WIND 135
MARINE...GALE 120 121 129 130 132 160 170 172 175 176 179 180 185
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 121 129 140 141 185
FIRE WEATHER...NONE
LR JAN 08Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd
- When
- January 26, 4:00 AM AKST to 10:40 PM AKST
- Where
- Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
Blizzard conditions were created throughout Thompson Pass as winds to 111 mph picked up and drifted snow through the area. Less than 1/4 mile visibilities and white-out conditions were reported from DOT officials as early as 4 am on the 26th of Jan. These conditions persisted through approximately 7pm on the 26th. Strong winds continued to effect the area as late as 11pm but visibilities had improved to greater than 1 mile as early as 7pm.
High Wind, Nern P.W. Snd
- When
- January 26, 7:00 AM AKST to 3:45 PM AKST
- Where
- Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
- Measured
- 96 kt (110 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
High Wind, Sern P.W. Snd
- When
- January 26, 7:00 AM AKST to 6:00 PM AKST
- Where
- Sern P.W. Snd forecast zone
- Measured
- 95 kt (109 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
Estimated wind gusts in the Copper River Delta based on wind in Thompson Pass and Valdez characterizing the magnitude of the gap wind.
- 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.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Oregon, January 26 to 28, 20081 death · 8 events
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Oregon, January 26 to 28, 200811 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 26 to 28, 20086 events
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 26 to 28, 20085 events
- Winter Storm and High Wind in California, January 26 to 28, 200856 kt wind · 5 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, January 26 to 27, 20084 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Washington, January 26 to 28, 20084 events
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 26 to 28, 20083 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 26 to 28, 20083 events
- Blizzard in Alaska, January 26 to 27, 20082 events
- Winter Weather in Arkansas, January 26, 20081 event
- Avalanche in Washington, January 26 to 31, 20081 event
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: 66758, 67093, 67095.