Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, December 18 to 19, 2010

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, December 18 to 19, 2010
Start: 2010-12-18T11:27
End: 2010-12-19T15:53
Location: Alaska

December 18 to 19, 2010 · NWS AFG · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A frontal boundary associated with a 984 mb low near Wrangel Island produced heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions along portions of the west coast of Alaska on December 18-19, 2010. Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Kivalina ASOS from 1753AKST on the 18th through 0330AKST on the 19th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 frontal boundary associated with a 984 mb low near Wrangel Island produced heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions along portions of the west coast of Alaska on December 18-19, 2010.

Zone 207: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Kivalina ASOS from 1753AKST on the 18th through 0330AKST on the 19th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter of a mile in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 42 kt (48 mph) was observed during this event. At Point Hope near-blizzard conditions were observed at times, but the visibility was one half mile or better during much of this event. The wind at the Point Hope AWOS did gust as high as 44 kt (51 mph).

Zone 208: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Red Dog Mine from 0806AKST through 1331AKST on the 19th. The visibility was frequently one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 35 kt (40 mph) was observed at the Red Dog Mine.

Zone 209: Blizzard conditions were observed at Kotzebue from 1353AKST on the 18th through 1553AKST on the 19th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 47 kt (54 mph) was observed at the Kotzebue ASOS. Near-blizzard conditions were also observed at Selawik from 0453AKST through 1516AKST on the 19th. A peak wind gust of 32 kt (37 mph) was observed at the Selawik AWOS. Although the visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter of a mile the wind was not as strong inland as it was along the coast.

Zone 211: Heavy snow was observed at Nome from late on the morning of the 18th through the late morning on the 19th. A storm total of 10 inches was observed at the Nome National Weather Service office.

Zone 213: Peak wind gusts of 53 kt (61 mph) was observed at Both the Teller and Wales AWSS's during the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 18th. The high winds were accompanied by falling snow and the visibility was briefly reduced to one quarter mile in snow and blowing snow at Wales, but the blizzard conditions were short lived and the visibility was one half mile or better during much of this event. It is likely that blizzard conditions occurred in spots along the Bering Strait Coast, but there were no reports.

Zone 214: Blizzard conditions were observed at Scammon Bay from 1325AKST through 1625AKST on the 18th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The wind gusted as high as 46 kt (53 mph) at the Scammon Bay AWSS.

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 18, 5:17 AM AKST, 6 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 5:17 AM AKST, 6 hours 10 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
517 AM AKST SAT DEC 18 2010

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH ABOUT 36 HOURS. AFTER THIS TIME
FRAME THE MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE...PARTICULARLY WITH THE GFS
DROPPING THE SURFACE LOW FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE NAM OVER THE ARCTIC
COAST.

THE PERSISTENT RIDGE OVER THE BERING SEA AND WEST COAST WILL
REMAIN QUASI STATIONERY THROUGH AT LEAST 240 HOURS. THE LONG WAVE
TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE
STATE THROUGH THE SAME TIME FRAME. HOWEVER...IT DOES APPEAR THAT
SEVERAL SHORT WAVES WILL POP OVER THE RIDGE AND KNOCK IT
DOWN...ONLY TO HAVE THE RIDGE REBUILD AGAIN.

TODAY...A DECENT SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL PUSH OVER THE RIDGE AND
BRING SNOWFALL AND WINDS TO MANY PORTIONS OF THE WEST COAST. THE
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL COMBINE WITH THE LOW
APPROACHING FROM RUSSIA TO CAUSE A DECENT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER
MANY PORTIONS OF THE WEST COAST AND WESTERN ARCTIC COAST. THIS
WILL INCREASE THE WINDS AND SPUR ON BLOWING SNOW WHICH WILL
COMBINE WITH FALLING SNOW TO GREATLY RESTRICT VISIBILITIES.

MEANWHILE COLD SURFACE TEMPERATURES OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR ARE
THE RESULT OF A PREVIOUSLY COLD AIR MASS OVER THE AREA AND LACK OF
ANY SUN TO HAVE MUCH OF ANY DIURNAL EFFECT. ONCE CLOUD COVER IS
ABLE TO MAKE IT FAR ENOUGH EASTWARD...PARTICULARLY OVER ZONE
220...THE TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND SOMEWHAT AND WILL LIKELY STAY
LESS COLD.

THE ARCTIC COAST WILL SEE WINDS INCREASE TODAY WITH WARM ADVECTION
PUSHING EASTWARD OVER THE AREA. THIS WILL BRING SOME SNOWFALL OVER
THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST AND FLURRIES ELSEWHERE.

THE WEST COAST WILL SEE THE SNOWFALL TAPERING OFF BY LATE SUNDAY
AND DECREASING CLOUDS BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY.

THE INTERIOR WILL REMAIN FAIRLY COLD BUT SOME SNOWFALL MAKE IT
EASTWARD WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND MAY COMBINE WITH SOME
OVERRUNNING FOR SOME ENHANCED SNOWFALL MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ211-AKZ213.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ210.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-
PKZ235-PKZ240.
&&

CF DEC 10

Event by event

4 blizzard, 1 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast

When: December 18, 11:27 AM AKST to December 19, 10:53 AM AKST
Where: Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: December 18, 12:30 PM AKST to 12:58 PM AKST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWSS

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: December 18, 1:25 PM AKST to 4:25 PM AKST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

Blizzard, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley

When: December 18, 1:53 PM AKST to December 19, 3:53 PM AKST
Where: Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: December 18, 5:53 PM AKST to December 19, 3:30 AM AKST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys

When: December 19, 8:06 AM AKST to 1:31 PM AKST
Where: Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: AWSS

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2010

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: 265203, 265204, 267313, 265202, 265198, 265199.