Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- January 14, 2:00 AM AKST to 3:00 PM AKST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
Blizzard in Alaska, January 14, 2012
Blizzard conditions were observed at Barter Island from approximately 0200AKST through 1500AKST on the 14th. According to public reports, the visibility was reduced to near zero at times in snow and blowing snow.
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.
Blizzard conditions were observed at Barter Island from approximately 0200AKST through 1500AKST on the 14th. According to public reports, the visibility was reduced to near zero at times in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust to 56 kt (64 mph) at the Barter Island 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 Jan 13, 2:59 PM AKST, 11 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 2:59 PM AKST, 11 hours 1 minute before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 259 PM AKST FRI JAN 13 2012 .DISCUSSION... MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH 60 HOURS. COLD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THROUGH THE MIDDLE PORTION OF THE STATE WILL MOVE EAST TONIGHT AND THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DEVELOPING OVER THE WEST COAST WILL BROADEN AND MOVE EAST THROUGH SAT. THE RIDGE AXIS THEN SHARPENS AND MOVES BACK SLIGHTLY WESTWARD WHERE THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL PARK ITSELF IN THE NORTHERN BERING SEA THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK BEFORE THE CENTER OF THE HIGH MOVES TO FAR EAST RUSSIA BY MID WEEK. AN EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE OVER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LATE SAT NIGHT TO THE WEST COAST AND SPREAD SOME SNOW BUT THE SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE FAIRLY LIGHT AND THE WINDS WILL BE FAIRLY LIGHT AS WELL. HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD IN OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR AND WINDS WILL BE LIGHT. TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL WARM THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR STEEP INVERSIONS TO SET UP WITH THE RELATIVELY CLEAR SKIES. A WEAK BUT VERY COLD LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARDS CANADA THROUGH SAT WHILE THE HIGH BUILDS IN THE INTERIOR. THIS WILL INCREASE THE WINDS ON THE ARCTIC COAST TO LIKELY BLIZZARD CONDITIONS THROUGH SAT OVER THE EASTERN ARCTIC. MID RANGE RMOPS SHOW A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THE LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL REDEVELOP BACK OVER NORTHERN ALASKA AFTER 168 HOURS AND STAY LOCKED IN THROUGH 360 HOURS. THIS WILL BRING THE COLDEST AIR BACK INTO NORTHERN ALASKA. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ202-AKZ204. BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ203-AKZ204. WIND CHILL WARNING FOR AKZ203-AKZ205. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ240-PKZ245. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ230-PKZ235-PKZ240. && CF JAN 12
Event by event
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 14 to 15, 2012
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 14 to 15, 2012
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 14, 2012
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 14 to 15, 2012
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 14 to 15, 2012
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 14 to 15, 2012
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Alaska, January 14, 2012
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 14, 2012
- Winter Weather in Virginia, January 14 to 15, 2012
- High Wind in Montana, January 14, 2012
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 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: 353861.