Blizzard in Alaska, November 13 to 14, 2009

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, November 13 to 14, 2009
Start: 2009-11-13T19:15
End: 2009-11-14T14:00
Location: Alaska

November 13 to 14, 2009 · NWS AFC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A storm in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced strong north wind and snow across the Chugach Mountains that resulted in a blizzard through Thompson Pass.

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 AFC wrote it up.

A storm in the northern Gulf of Alaska produced strong north wind and snow across the Chugach Mountains that resulted in a blizzard through 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 Nov 13, 12:07 PM AKST, 7 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 13, 12:07 PM AKST, 7 hours 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
1207 PM AKST FRI NOV 13 2009

.MODEL DISCUSSION...GFS AND NAM IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON DEVELOPING GULF
SYSTEM.  LATE THIS AFTERNOON AN ELONGATED LOW IN THE WESTERN GULF
RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES AS IT MOVES TOWARDS KAYAK ISLAND SAT MORNING.
THIS LOW THEN MOVES INLAND SAT NEAR ICY BAY.

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...AT UPPER LEVELS TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER
BERING SEA DEEPENS AS IT MOVES OVER KENAI PENINSULA SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE FORMS OVER THE WESTERN BERING SUNDAY.
CONSIDERABLE COLD AIR OVER THE BERING WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD THIS
WEEKEND.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...MAIN ISSUE IS THE POSITION OF GULF LOW BY SAT
MORNING...WILL IMPACT AMOUNT OF SNOW IN CORDOVA...VALDEZ...AND COPPER
BASIN. EXPECTING SOME SNOW FOR THESE ZONES BUT GENERIC AMOUNTS FOR
NOW...HEAVIEST SNOW AMOUNTS FROM KAYAK ISLAND EASTWARD.  ISSUED A
BLIZZARD WATCH FOR THOMPSON PASS- SHOULD BE STRONG WINDS IN PASS WITH
MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS IN VALDEZ.  COLD AIR ON WEST SIDE OF LOW
SHOULD GENERATE MODERATE TO STRONG NORTH WINDS THROUGH GAPS ACROSS
SOUTHCENTRAL SAT AND SUN.

NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN ZONES AND GREATER BERING SEA
REGION THROUGH MON. STILL EXPECTING A WEATHER FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH
THE WESTERN BERING ON SUNDAY AS IT HEADS FOR ST. MATTHEW ISLAND ON
TUE.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
MAIN ACTIVITY IS IN THE BERING AS ELONGATED LOW AND REMNANTS OF FRONT
MOVE INTO EASTERN BERING AND POSSIBLY INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF OF
AK...HOWEVER TRACK RECORD FOR MODELS AS OF LATE NOT VERY CONSISTENT
SO HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN THE DETAILS.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING FOR ZONE 131- THOMPSON PASS
MARINE...MANY GALES AND STORMS- SEE PACKAGES FOR SPECIFICS
FIRE WEATHER...UNLIKELY

JMP NOV 09

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Nern P.W. Snd

When: November 13, 7:15 PM AKST to November 14, 2:00 PM AKST
Where: Nern P.W. Snd forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways

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

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: 196758.