Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 22 to 23, 2011

Name: Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 22 to 23, 2011
Start: 2011-12-22T12:50
End: 2011-12-23T16:00
Location: Alaska

December 22 to 23, 2011 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 970 mb low near the Prince William Sound at 1500AKST on the 22nd moved north and weakened to a 994 mb low in the southeast interior by 0900AKST on the 23rd. 2 inches of snow from 1250AKST on the 22nd through 1600AKST on the 23rd.

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 970 mb low near the Prince William Sound at 1500AKST on the 22nd moved north and weakened to a 994 mb low in the southeast interior by 0900AKST on the 23rd. Upslope flow produced heavy snowfall at the Robertson River Bridge with a total of 10.2 inches of snow from 1250AKST on the 22nd through 1600AKST on the 23rd. The heaviest snow fell during the afternoon and early evening of the 22nd during which there was 5.7 inches of snow observed in 7 hours.

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 22, 5:17 AM AKST, 7 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 5:17 AM AKST, 7 hours 33 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
517 AM AKST THU DEC 22 2011

.DISCUSSION...
973MB LOW IN THE SRN GULF OF ALASKA WILL BE A 974 MB CENTER NR
CORDOVA AT 9PM THU. ASSOICATED OCCLUSION WILL BE SHREDDED BY THE
COASTAL MOUNTAINS BUT MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTH AND
WWD. SECONDARY LOW WILL DEVLEOP BY EARLY FRI MORNING NEAR KLUANE
LAKE YT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVR THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE THIS
AFTERNOON...THENCE SPREADING NORTH AND WEST TONIGHT. LOW LEVEL
UPSLOPE AND NEAR OPTIMAL IN CLOUD TEMPS SHOULD HELP BOAST SNOW
ACCUMLATIONS IN ZONE 226 ABOVE SIX INCHES...SO WE HAVE ISSUED A
WINTER WEATHER ADVSIORY FOR ZONE 226. AMOUNTS EXPECTED TO REMAIN
SUB ADVISORY OVER THE ERN INTERIOR...THO SOME PLACES IN ZONE 224
COULD APPROACH 4 INCHES IN 24 HOURS. SNOW AMOUNTS WEST OF 145W
SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS. AS THE SUPPORT ALOFT MOVES EWD ON
FRIDAY...COLDER AIR WILL FOLLOW.

MEANWHILE...WEAK CLOSED LOW ALOFT OVR SRN CHUKCHI SEA
WILL MOVE SOUTH TO BE NEAR BETHEL BY FRI AFTERNOON...AND THE CORE
OF THE COLD AIR WILL MOVE ONTO THE CENTRAL NORTH SLOPE FRI. THESE
FEATURES WILL HAVE MINIMAL REFLECTION IN THE MSLP...WHICH WILL
REMAIN DOMINATED BY HIGH PRESSURE. THIS IS...AND WILL
CONTINUE...TO PRODUCE LOCALLY GUSTY NORTH WINDS IN THE USUAL
AREAS...AND FOR WEST COAST ZONES WIND CHILLS MAY BECOME AN ISSUE
BY THE WEEKEND.

THE MID-RANGE FORECAST IS DOMINATED BY CLOSED LOW ALOFT THAT AT
LEAST THRU TUESDAY IS CENTERED VCNTY KENAI PEN. THIS SHOULD
PRODUCE ONLY LIMITED OPPURTUNITIES FOR CLEARING SOUTH OF THE YUKON
RIVER...AND SO VALLEY TEMPS..WHILE BELOW NORMAL...PROBABLY NOT
DRAMATICALLY SO. BEST CHANCE FOR CLEAR AND DEEP COLD AT LEAST THRU
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WILL BE IN THE NORTHERN AND WRN INTEIOR
NORTHWARD TO THE INTERIOR NORTH SLOPE.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ226.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220.
&&

RT DEC 11

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile

When: December 22, 12:50 PM AKST to December 23, 4:00 PM 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

Every storm in Alaska in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, December 2011

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: 352647.