Name: Blizzard in Alaska, April 5, 2012
Start: 2012-04-05T13:30
End: 2012-04-05T18:50
Location: Alaska

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 999 mb low near Nome at 0900AKST on the 5th moved to near Point Hope and weakened to 1003 mb by 2200AKST on the evening of the 5th. The low combined with a 1034 mb high in the northern Beaufort Sea to produce strong winds and a period of blizzard conditions along a portion of the western Arctic Coast. Blizzard conditions were observed at Wainwright from approximately 1345AKST through 1850AKST. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gusts to 37 kt/43 mph at the Wainwright ASOS. Blizzard conditions were also observed at Point Lay from approximately 1330AKST through 1800AKST. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust to 40 kt/46 mph at the Point Lay AWOS.

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 Apr 5, 1:27 PM AKST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 5, 1:27 PM AKST, 3 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
227 PM AKDT THU APR 5 2012

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR...LONG WAVE RIDGE WITH CENTER OVER SOUTHEAST ALASKA WILL
PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL PASS THROUGH
THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT OF THE RIDGE TONIGHT THROUGH FRI NIGHT. A
WEAKER SHORT WAVE WILL FOLLOW ON SAT.

SURFACE...A 1004 MB LOW NEAR CAPE ESPENBERG WILL MOVE NORTHWEST OF
POINT HOPE AT 10 PM THU...THEN CONTINUE NORTHWEST AND WEAKEN TO
1012 MB OVER WRANGEL ISLAND BY FRI AFTERNOON. A TROUGH OF LOW
PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN OVER THE EASTERN BERING SEA FRI NIGHT
THROUGH SAT. HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST OF ALASKA
WILL PERSIST THROUGH SAT.

NORTH SLOPE...BRISK EAST WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH CHUKCHI SEA LOW
WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH LATE TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION WITH THE
LOW WILL GENERALLY BE 1 INCH OR LESS. LOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE
VISIBILITIES TO BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN 1 MILE AT TIMES. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BRING CALMER CONDITIONS SAT AND SAT NIGHT.

WEST COAST...SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH LOW MOVING NORTH OVER THE WEST
COAST WILL BE WINDING DOWN OVER THE WEST COAST ZONES TONIGHT.
UP SLOPING OVER ZONE 217 MAY PRODUCE STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS UP
TO 6 INCHES...THEREFORE AN ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT
ZONE. ANY RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN OVER WEST COAST ZONES WILL CHANGE
BACK TO SNOW AND DIMINISH AS COLDER AIR RUSHES IN AFTER THE LOW
AND FRONT PASS.

INTERIOR...WINDS THROUGH ALASKA RANGE PASSES WILL BEGIN TO
DIMINISH FRI MORNING. SNOW TONIGHT THROUGH FRI WILL BE MAINLY OVER
THE SOUTH CENTRAL TO NORTH CENTRAL INTERIOR. MOST OF THE ENERGY
ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL LIFT OFF TO THE
NORTH...THUS THE SOUTHEAST INTERIOR WILL HAVE ONLY FLURRIES OR
SPRINKLES.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...PLENTY OF SNOW COVER AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY ABOVE
30 PERCENT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT WEEK.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...RIVERS WILL CONTINUE FROZEN THROUGH THE EXTENDED
FORECAST PERIOD.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ225-AKZ226.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ209-AKZ216-AKZ217-AKZ227.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230-PKZ235-
PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

DA APR 12

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When: April 5, 1:30 PM AKST to 6:50 PM AKST
Where: Western Arctic Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, April 2012

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: 364348.