Alaska, 2009

Extreme Cold in Alaska, January 8 to 9, 2009

January 8 to 9, 2009 · NWS AFG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The combination of a very cold airmass that was established in late December, and a period of strong wind, combined to produce low wind chills in the passes of the Alaska Range and in the Upper Yukon Valley on January 8th and 9th. 2): 67 below.

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.

The combination of a very cold airmass that was established in late December, and a period of strong wind, combined to produce low wind chills in the passes of the Alaska Range and in the Upper Yukon Valley on January 8th and 9th.

Here are some of the lowest wind chills that were observed:

Zone 224: Eagle ASOS: 62 below|Zone 225: Antler Creek RWIS (Parks Highway MP 244): 66 below|Zone 226: RWIS Site on the Tok Cutoff (Mentasta Pass MP 79.2): 67 below.

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 Jan 8, 1:10 AM AKST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 8, 1:10 AM AKST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
110 AM AKST THU JAN 8 2009

.DISCUSSION...
SHORT RANGE PROGS ARE IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT. 976 MB LOW
SOUTH OF THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS AT 06Z THU IS PROGGED TO MOVE TO
SOUTH OF YAKUTAT BY 00Z SAT FILLING TO AROUND 993 MB. MOVEMENT OF
THIS LOW SHOULD PROLONG THE PRESSURE GRADIENT JUST SOUTH OF THE
ALASKA RANGE. NORTHEAST WINDS 15-25 MPH WITH LOW WIND CHILL WILL
LIKELY CONTINUE IN MENTASTA PASS AT LEAST THROUGH TONIGHT.
LOCAL NORTH WINDS TO 15 MPH COULD DEVELOP TODAY IN WINDY PASS
PASS AND NEAR ISABEL PASS. LOCAL NORTHEAST WINDS TO 15 MPH WITH
WIND CHILL LIKELY CONTINUING IN ZONE 221 AS WELL.

ECMWF AND GFS PROGS AGREE WELL IN THE TIMING OF A WARMUP
IN THE INTERIOR MON...GFS IS MORE BULLISH ON CHINOOK CONDITIONS
HOWEVER. BOTH MODELS AND GFS ENSEMBLES INDICATING FURTHER
WARMING BY MID WEEK AS STRONG RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS OVER
THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA AND NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE
ALASKA INTERIOR.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ221-AKZ223-AKZ225.

DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR AKZ222.

WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ226.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ245.
&&

RF JAN 09

Event by event

3 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng

When
January 8, 6:30 AM AKST to January 9, 2:00 PM AKST
Where
Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Denali

When
January 8, 9:00 AM AKST to January 9, 12:00 AM AKST
Where
Denali forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
January 8, 9:00 PM AKST to January 9, 12:00 AM AKST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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, January 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: 142005, 142004, 142003.