Alaska, 2009

Heavy Snow in Alaska, November 12 to 13, 2009

November 12 to 13, 2009 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 992 mb low in the Northeast Gulf of Alaska produced a period of heavy snow in portions of the Upper Tanana Valley south of the Alaska Highway. Snow developed around 4:30 pm on the 12th south of the Robertson River Bridge off the Alaska Highway, and fell heavily at times during the evening hours.

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 AFG wrote it up.

A 992 mb low in the Northeast Gulf of Alaska produced a period of heavy snow in portions of the Upper Tanana Valley south of the Alaska Highway. Snow developed around 4:30 pm on the 12th south of the Robertson River Bridge off the Alaska Highway, and fell heavily at times during the evening hours. The cooperative weather observer south of the Robertson River Bridge measured 6 inches of snow by 9:45 pm. The snow tapered off during the early morning hours on the 13th, with a storm total of 8 inches.

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 12, 4:25 AM AKST, 12 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 12, 4:25 AM AKST, 12 hours 5 minutes before
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Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When
November 12, 4:30 PM AKST to November 13, 6:00 AM AKST
Where
Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer

What these are

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

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, 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 198431.