Alaska, 2009

Blizzard in Alaska, December 26 to 27, 2009

December 26 to 27, 2009 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A 1050 mb high centered several hundred miles north of the arctic coast combined with a 984 mb low across the eastern Aleutians and western Gulf of Alaska to produce a strong pressure gradient along the arctic and Chukchi Sea coasts. The strong wind produced significant blowing and drifting snow.

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.

A 1050 mb high centered several hundred miles north of the arctic coast combined with a 984 mb low across the eastern Aleutians and western Gulf of Alaska to produce a strong pressure gradient along the arctic and Chukchi Sea coasts. The strong wind produced significant blowing and drifting snow. Although little or no snow fell during this event, the visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in blowing snow at Deadhorse and at Point Hope. The worst conditions were observed at Point Hope where there were occasional white-out conditions, and the wind frequently gusted over 50 mph, with occasional gusts to around 60 mph. A peak wind gust of 56 kt/64 mph was observed at the Point Hope AWOS. The wind at Deadhorse was not as strong, but gusted to 41kt/47 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 Dec 26, 1:24 AM AKST, 8 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 1:24 AM AKST, 8 hours 12 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
124 AM AKST SAT DEC 26 2009

.DISCUSSION...
SHORT RANGE RUNS OF GFS/NAM ARE REASONABLY SIMILAR.
EAST WINDS OVER THE CENTRAL/EASTERN ARCTIC COAST ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS
EVENING WITH TIGHTENING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT.

TIGHT PINCH IN THE SURFACE ISOBAR FIELD OVER SOUTHWESTERN
ZONE 201 AND NORTHERN PARTS ZONE 207 WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST
INTO TONIGHT. WIND SPEED NOT AVAILABLE AT POINT LAY...BUT LOCALLY
STRONG WINDS WITH POOR VISIBILITY FROM POINT LAY SOUTHWEST.
BOUNCING WIND SPEEDS CONTINUING IN KIVALINA AREA WITH OCCASIONAL
GUSTS TO 45 MPH. VISIBILITY AT KIVALINA AND POINT HOPE IS STAYING
CONSISTENTLY ABOVE A HALF MILE... SO WILL NOT ISSUE BLOWING SNOW
ADVISORY. LOCAL GUSTS TO 40-45 MPH CONTINUING IN ZONES 211/212.

STRONG WINDS WITH FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE OVER HIGHER SUMMITS IN ZONES 219-220-221-222 TODAY.
VISIBILITY MAY BE LOW AT TIMES WITH 1-2 INCHES OF NEW SNOW
POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS. STEESE HIGHWAY AT EAGLE SUMMIT IS
CLOSED.

UPPER NOATAK RAWS REPORTING FREQUENT GUSTS TO 40-50 MPH SO WILL
CARRY WIND ADVISORY FOR THE UPPER NOATAK VALLEY. LITTLE CHANGE IN
WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ217.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221-AKZ222.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ225-PKZ230.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ235-
PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

RF DEC 09

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When
December 26, 9:36 AM AKST to December 27, 12:36 AM AKST
Where
Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
December 26, 9:16 PM AKST to December 27, 5:56 AM AKST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2009

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: 200440, 200441.