Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait
- When
- January 11, 11:03 AM AKST to 6:24 PM AKST
- Where
- St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWSS
Blizzard in Alaska, January 11, 2013
A 984 mb low moved north over the eastern Bering Sea on the 11th and gradually weakened by early on the 12th north of the Bering Strait. This system brought blizzard conditions to Wales, and near-blizzard conditions to Gambell, Savoonga, and Teller.
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 984 mb low moved north over the eastern Bering Sea on the 11th and gradually weakened by early on the 12th north of the Bering Strait. This system brought blizzard conditions to Wales, and near-blizzard conditions to Gambell, Savoonga, and Teller. The Wales AWOS reported a peak gust to 45 kts (52 mph) during the event.
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 11, 6:00 AM AKST, 5 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 11, 6:00 AM AKST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 600 AM AKST FRI JAN 11 2013 .DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WITH AXIS EXTENDING NORTH OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA TO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR WILL PERSIST THROUGH SAT NIGHT...THEN BEGIN A SLOW MOVE EAST. SHORT WAVES MOVING UP THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIDGE WILL BRING SNOW NORTH OVER THE WEST COAST ON SATURDAY...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN MIXING FOR ZONES 214...215...AND 216. THE RIDGE WILL DRAW WARMER AIR OVER THE ALASKA RANGE WHICH WILL ALSO GIVE A CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN MIXING WITH SNOW OVER ZONES 221...222...223...225...AND 226 FOR SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. DOWN SLOPING WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION TO THE NORTH OF THE RANGE. THE NORTH SLOPE WILL HAVE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES IN THE STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR ZONES 201...202...AND 205. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ203-AKZ205. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ213. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225- PKZ230-PKZ235. && DA JAN 13
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jan 11, 9:41 AM AKST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 941 AM AKST FRI JAN 11 2013 AKZ221>223-225-122000- CENTRAL INTERIOR-MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY-DELTANA AND TANANA FLATS- DENALI- INCLUDING...NENANA...ANDERSON...TANANA...MINTO... MANLEY HOT SPRINGS...RAMPART...LAKE MINCHUMINA...LIVENGOOD... FAIRBANKS...FORT WAINWRIGHT...EIELSON AFB...ESTER...NORTH POLE... MOOSE CREEK...TWO RIVERS...FOX...CHATANIKA...CHENA HOT SPRINGS... SOURDOUGH CAMP...SALCHA...DELTA JUNCTION...FORT GREELY... HARDING/BIRCH LAKE...DRY CREEK...DOT LAKE...HEALY LAKE...HEALY... DENALI NATIONAL PARK...CARLO CREEK...KANTISHNA 941 AM AKST FRI JAN 11 2013 ...FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY... A STRONG LOW PRESSURE CENTER DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE BERING SEA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS MAINLAND ALASKA OVER THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RISING ABOVE FREEZING IN SOME LOCATIONS FROM THE LOWER YUKON RIVER VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR. IN ADDITION TO THE WARM TEMPERATURES...THIS WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A MIXED BAG OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION. SNOW AND LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR RAIN ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE LOWER YUKON RIVER VALLEY AND SOUTHERN INTERIOR BEGINNING SATURDAY NIGHT AND PERSISTING INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. FROM FAIRBANKS EAST...THE ALASKA RANGE WILL BLOCK MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION AND THERE STILL IS SOME UNCERTAINTY HOW MUCH OR IF ANY FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR. WEST OF FAIRBANKS THE LIKELIHOOD FOR A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN IS MUCH HIGHER. THIS WEATHER PATTERN IS MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE THAT BROUGHT THE GREAT FREEZING RAIN EVENT OF NOVEMBER 2010. IF FREEZING RAIN DOES OCCUR...AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT. EWP
Special weather statement, Jan 11, 9:52 AM AKST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 952 AM AKST FRI JAN 11 2013 AKZ214>216-227-121500- YUKON DELTA-LOWER YUKON VALLEY- LOWER KOYUKUK AND MIDDLE YUKON VALLEYS-UPPER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY- INCLUDING...MOUNTAIN VILLAGE...EMMONAK...ALAKANUK...KOTLIK... PILOT STATION...ST MARYS...SCAMMON BAY...MARSHALL...NUNAM IQUA... PITKAS POINT...RUSSIAN MISSION...GRAYLING...HOLY CROSS... SHAGELUK...ANVIK...FLAT...GALENA...NULATO...HUSLIA...KALTAG... RUBY...KOYUKUK...MCGRATH...NIKOLAI...TAKOTNA...FAREWELL LAKE 952 AM AKST FRI JAN 11 2013 ...FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY... A STRONG LOW PRESSURE CENTER DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE BERING SEA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS MAINLAND ALASKA OVER THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RISING ABOVE FREEZING IN SOME LOCATIONS OVER THE LOWER YUKON RIVER VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN INTERIOR. IN ADDITION TO THE WARM TEMPERATURES...THIS WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A MIXED BAG OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION. SNOW AND LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR RAIN ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE LOWER YUKON RIVER VALLEY AND WESTERN INTERIOR BEGINNING SATURDAY AND PERSISTING INTO SUNDAY. EWP
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
- Winter Weather in Nebraska, January 11, 2013
- Dense Fog in Iowa, January 11, 2013
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, January 11, 2013
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Kentucky, January 11, 2013
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, January 11 to 12, 2013
- Dense Fog in Virginia, January 11 to 12, 2013
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, January 11 to 12, 2013
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in North Dakota, January 11 to 12, 2013
- High Wind in New Mexico, January 11, 2013
- High Wind in Colorado, January 11 to 12, 2013
- Blizzard and Ice Storm in Alaska, January 11 to 14, 2013
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 11 to 12, 2013
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2013
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: 423487.