Blizzard in Alaska, January 6 to 7, 2012

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, January 6 to 7, 2012
Start: 2012-01-06T23:00
End: 2012-01-07T14:00
Location: Alaska

January 6 to 7, 2012 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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 996 mb low approximately 100 miles southwest of Saint Lawrence Island at 0300AKST on the 7th moved to Saint Lawrence Island by 2100AKST on the evening of the 7th. The low produced a period of blizzard conditions at both Gambell and Savoonga. At Gambell, blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 2300AKST late on the 6th through 1000AKST on the 7th. The visibility was frequently reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. The anemometer on the Gambell AWOS was inoperable during the event. At Savoonga, blizzard conditions were observed from approximately 1000AKST through 1400AKST on the 7th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust to 41 kt (47 mph) at the Savoonga 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 6, 1:43 PM AKST, 9 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 1:43 PM AKST, 9 hours 17 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
143 PM AKST FRI JAN 6 2012

.DISCUSSION...COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTERED OVER THE BERING STRAIT
CONTINUES TO SLOWLY RETREAT WESTWARD AS RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE
YUKON AND BC BUILDS SLIGHTLY. A STRONG SHORT WAVE WITH A 991 MB
SURFACE REFLECTION OVER THE COPPER RIVER BASIN CONTINUES TO MOVE
NORTHEAST ALONG THE BACK SIDE OF THE RIDGE.

SNOW CONTINUES ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR WITH
GENERALLY 1 TO 3 INCHES REPORTED. SATELLITE AND RADAR INDICATE THE
SPREAD AND INTENSITY OF THE SNOW IS DIMINISHING. SKIES ARE
BEGINNING TO SCATTER OUT ACROSS THE CENTRAL INTERIOR AS THE SYSTEM
PULLS TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE EASTERN INTERIOR. EXPECT
TEMPERATURES TO DROP ACROSS THE CENTRAL INTERIOR THIS EVENING AS
SKIES CONTINUE TO SCATTER OUT.

AN ELONGATED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NORTH OF PASC AND PABA CONTINUES
TO DEEPEN. THE 12Z GFS IS ABOUT 4 MB HIGHER WITH THIS FEATURE AS
COMPARED TO THE NAM12. FAVORED THE NAM12 ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THIS FEATURE AND EXPECT WEST WINDS TO INCREASE THIS EVENING ALONG
THE NORTH SLOPE COAST ESPECIALLY EAST OF BARROW. WINDS NEAR PABA
EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO NEAR 30 MPH WITH CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES ALONG THE
EASTERN NORTH SLOPE ALONG WITH INCREASING WINDS WILL PUSH WIND
CHILL VALUES TO NEAR ADVISORY LEVELS BEGINNING THIS EVENING AND
CONTINUING THROUGH TOMORROW.

PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND FRIGID CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE
WESTERN INTERIOR AND WEST COAST. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A
STRONG LOW DEVELOPING IN THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS TUESDAY MORNING AND
MOVING NORTHEAST INTO BRISTOL BAY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE LOW IS
PROGGED TO CONTINUE TO THE NORTHEAST AND MOVE INTO THE INTERIOR
THURSDAY. AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE FORECAST AREA
STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM SHOULD BRING SIGNIFICANT
WARMING ALONG THE WEST COAST AND INTERIOR.

&&

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

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

CCC JAN 12

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: January 6, 11:00 PM AKST to January 7, 2:00 PM AKST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

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 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 353338.