Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 11, 2009

Name: Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 11, 2009
Start: 2009-11-11T01:16
End: 2009-11-11T22:36
Location: Alaska

November 11, 2009 · NWS AFG · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong 967 mb low pressure system developed over the Bering Strait on the night of the 10th, and moved near the Seward Peninsula and intensified to 956 mb on the morning of the 11th. The storm brought strong west winds, heavy snow and blizzard conditions to zones 209, 211, 212 and 217.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed at times at Point Hope. At the Point Hope AWOS the visibility was frequently reduced to one half mile and occasionally to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 48kt/55 mph.

209: Periods of heavy snow and strong west winds reduced the visibility to one quarter of a mile at Kotzebue on the morning and afternoon of the 11th. 8.2 inches of snow was also observed at the WSO in Kotzebue. The wind gusted to 52kt/60 mph at the Kotzebue ASOS during the morning of the 11th.

Zone 211: Blizzard conditions and heavy snow were observed at Nome during the afternoon and evening hours of the 11th. A total of 7.5 inches of snow was observed at the Nome National Weather Service Office. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted to 45 kt/52 mph at the Nome ASOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Golovin AWOS on the afternoon of the 11th. The wind gusted as high as 41kt/47 mph.

Zone 212: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Unalakleet ASOS during the afternoon hours of the 11th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less, and occasionally to zero in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 51kt/59 mph.

Zone 217: Heavy snow was observed at Ambler on the 11th, and approximately 10 inches of snow fell from the late morning through late in the evening.

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 10, 5:10 PM AKST, 8 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 10, 5:10 PM AKST, 8 hours 6 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
510 PM AKST TUE NOV 10 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
A RAPIDLY DEEPENING STORM DEVELOPING NEAR ST LAWRENCE ISLAND NOW
WILL MOVE TO TELLER AS A 967 MB LOW BY 3AM WED AND TO NEAR
KOTZEBUE AS A 962 MB LOW BY 3PM WED AND THEN MOVE INLAND TO AMBLER
AS A 978 MB LOW BY THU.

THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO BECOME VERY STRONG TONIGHT AND PRODUCE
WESTERLY WINDS OF 60 MPH ACROSS NORTON SOUND BY EARLY WEDNESDAY
THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY. THESE WINDS WILL PUSH LARGE
AMOUNTS OF WATER INTO NORTON SOUND AND GENERATE A VERY HIGH STORM
SURGE OVER THE EASTERN NORTON SOUND COAST. THIS STORM WILL CAUSE
NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEA ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY BRINGING A THREAT OF COASTAL FLOODING TO THAT AREA AS
WELL.

A WARM FRONT FROM THE LOW SE WILL OCCLUDE TONIGHT AND EARLY WED.
THERE WILL BE BRIEF RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN SOUTH OF THIS FRONT
IN ZONES 213 211 212 214 AND 215 TONIGHT AND 216 AND 227 WED.
A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT SOUTHWEST OF THE LOW WILL MOVE TO NOME TO
BETHEL BY 3AM WED AND OCCLUDE THE WARM FRONT...MOVING TO KOTZEBUE
TO NOME TO POINT HOPE TO DENALI BY 3PM WED AND TO GALENA TO KOYUK
TO KIVALINA TO BARTER ISLAND BY 3AM THU. THE POISON TAIL PORTION
OF THE FRONT THAT WRAPS AROUND INTO THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE
LOW WILL HAVE THE STORM FORCE WINDS WITH IT, AND MAY EVEN SPREAD
GALE FORCE WINDS INTO THE WESTERN INTERIOR.

THERE WILL BE BRIEF RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT
IN ZONES 213 211 212 214 AND 215 TONIGHT AND 216 AND 227 WED. IT
WILL END WITH THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE. THERE WILL ALSO BE HEAVY
SNOW AHEAD OF THE WARM FRONT AND WITH THE COLD/OCCLUDED FRONT. THE
STORM WILL CAUSE HEAVY SNOW AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FROM THE WEST
COAST TO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR THROUGH THU AM. 6-10 INCHES OF SNOW
IS EXPECTED WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN ZONE 216.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS INITIALIZE WELL AND SHOW VERY SIMILAR SOLUTIONS LENDING TO
A HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST EVEN THOUGH IT IS AN EXTREME SOLUTION.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...
THIS COULD BE THE WORST COASTAL FLOODING IN EASTERN NORTON
SOUND IN MANY YEARS. WITH STORM SURGE WILL RIDE WED TO 10 FT
WED PM-THU. THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA AND THE YUKON DELTA
WILL HAVE SURGES OF 6 TO 8 FT. ZONE 213 WILL HAVE ONLY 3 FT SURGE
BUT SEE SIGNIFICANT WAVES DRIVEN ONSHORE ALONG NW COASTS. PARTIAL
ICE COVERAGE IN NORTON SOUNDS MEANS THAT ICE COULD BE PUSHED
ASHORE WHICH CAN CAUSE EXTREME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS. THIS COULD BE
A KILLER STORM IN EASTERN NORTON SOUND.

THIS STORM WILL CAUSE NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEA
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY BRINGING A THREAT OF COASTAL
FLOODING TO THAT AREA AS WELL.

&&

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
COASTAL FLOOD WARNING FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214.

BLIZZARD WATCH FOR AKZ201-AKZ202.

COASTAL FLOOD WATCH FOR AKZ207-AKZ210.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ207-AKZ208-AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ211-
AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214-AKZ215-AKZ216-AKZ217-AKZ227.

WINTER STORM WATCH FOR AKZ218-AKZ219-AKZ221.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-
PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245.

STORM WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ230.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ235.
&&

JB NOV 09

Event by event

4 blizzard, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys

When: November 11, 1:16 AM AKST to 2:36 PM AKST
Where: Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Blizzard, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley

When: November 11, 3:00 AM AKST to 4:00 PM AKST
Where: Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: November 11, 11:00 AM AKST to 6:00 PM AKST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills

When: November 11, 11:00 AM AKST to 4:00 PM AKST
Where: Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: November 11, 2:36 PM AKST to 10:36 PM AKST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
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

Every storm in Alaska in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, November 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: 198432, 196375, 196380, 196388, 198433.