A 970 mb low pressure system moved from the North Pacific Ocean January 27th, progressed north toward the eastern Aleutians and eventually the Pribilof Islands late January 29th, spreading generally light to moderate snow. With high pressure over the Arctic, this pattern created a tight gradient across western Alaska with widespread blizzard conditions from the Eastern Aleutians to Bristol Bay,…
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.
The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.
A 970 mb low pressure system moved from the North Pacific Ocean January 27th, progressed north toward the eastern Aleutians and eventually the Pribilof Islands late January 29th, spreading generally light to moderate snow. With high pressure over the Arctic, this pattern created a tight gradient across western Alaska with widespread blizzard conditions from the Eastern Aleutians to Bristol Bay, the Kuskokwim Delta and the Pribiofs.
The Pribilof Islands were most severely impacted. Blizzard condidtions persisted nearly continuiously for approximately 15 hours. Periods of moderate, with occasional heavy, snow combined with gusts exceeding 40 mph brought visibility to one-sixteenth of a mile with large snow drifts. Pipes in four homes in the village of Saint Paul (Pribilof Islands) froze as a result of this event.
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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 27, 5:00 AM AKST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
500 AM AKST SUN JAN 27 2013
.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
THE EARLY MORNING UPPER WEATHER PATTERN OVER ALASKA HAS HIGH
PRESSURE CENTERED OVER NORTHERN ALASKAN MAINLAND AND ANOTHER HIGH
OVER EASTERN RUSSIA. THERE IS ALSO RIDGING OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC
AND TO ITS WEST IS A CLOSED WHICH WILL BRING THE NEXT WEATHER
CHALLENGE TO SOUTHERN ALASKA. AT THE SURFACE...A STRONG SURFACE HIGH
CENTERED TO THE NORTH OF THE BERING STRAIT SPREADS ACROSS THE BERING
AND MAINLAND ALASKA. IN THE NORTHERN PACIFIC...A 976 MB SURFACE LOW
IS CENTERED DUE SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS WITH A SURFACE FRONT
EXTENDING NORTH.
IR/WV SATELLITE SHOWS MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS ACROSS MAINLAND
ALASKA AND LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE ALEUTIANS AND BERING
SEA. LIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS ARE NOTED ACROSS SOUTHERN ALASKA EXCEPT
FOR ALONG THE COAST WHERE STRONGER WINDS THROUGH GAPS CONTINUE WITH
OFFSHORE FLOW. FURTHER WEST...THE NORTHERN EXTENSION OF THE SURFACE
LOW IN THE PACIFIC IS BRINGING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE EASTERN
ALEUTIANS.
.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS HAVE BEEN IN FAIR AGREEMENT OVER PAST FEW MODEL RUNS AND
CONTINUED TO BE FOR THE LATEST 00Z RUN. ONLY MINOR CHANGES WERE
NEEDED TO UPDATE THE CURRENT SHORT TERM FORECAST WITH NAM AND ECMWF.
THE MAIN CHALLENGE OF THE CURRENT FORECAST IS THE FRONTAL
PROGRESSION OVER THE ALEUTIANS DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MODELS TEND
TO AGREE ON THE COLDER AIR STAYING IN PLACE ALONG THE EASTERN
ALEUTIANS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING BEFORE MODERATING TEMPERATURES BACK
TOWARD FREEZING. IF THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH FASTER OR SLOWER THAN
WHAT THE CURRENT MODELS ARE SHOWING...SNOW AND RAIN TIMING MAY NEED
TO BE ADJUSTED AND ALSO THE WEATHER HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...
COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH INTO SOUTHERN ALASKA FROM
THE RIDGE ACROSS THE NORTHERN INTERIOR. IN RESPONSE...OFFSHORE WINDS
WILL INCREASE. WITH COLD TEMPERATURES ALREADY ACROSS
SOUTHCENTRAL...WIND CHILLS WILL DROP DOWN TO -45 DEGREES ALONG GAP
LOCATIONS. WIND CHILL ADVISORIES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE
SUSITNA VALLEY AND COPPER RIVER BASIN UNTIL NOON TODAY. SNOW HAS
ENDED ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE BLIZZARD
WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...A WIND CHILL ADVISORY HAS BEEN
ISSUED THROUGH NOON TODAY WHEN TEMPERATURES WILL SLIGHTLY WARM. WINDS
INCREASE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF AS A FRONT MOVES UP
FROM THE NORTHERN PACIFIC. THIS FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR SNOW AS
IT MOVES THROUGH THE SOUTHERN GULF SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. AS
THE FRONT ADVANCES FURTHER NORTH COASTAL LOCATIONS WILL WARM AND SNOW
WILL CHANGE OVER TO RAIN.
SOUTHWEST ALASKA...
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE LATER TODAY ACROSS THE REGION...WITH
THE STRONGEST WINDS ACROSS THE ALASKA PENINSULA AS THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY MOVES JUST SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN. SNOW WILL DEVELOP
ACROSS THE ALASKA PENINSULA LATER TODAY AND SPREAD NORTH ACROSS
BRISTOL BAY AND THE REST OF SOUTH ALASKA THROUGH TUESDAY. WITH COLD
TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN PLACE ACROSS THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA AND WINDS
INCREASING WINDS THIS AFTERNOON...WIND CHILLS WILL RANGE IN THE -30
TO -55 DEGREE RANGE THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY
HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY MODERATE LATE
MONDAY AS THE WARM FRONT ADVANCES.
ALEUTIANS/BERING SEA...
WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES
TOWARD THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS. AN EAST TO WEST ORIENTED FRONTAL
BOUNDARY WILL MOVE TO JUST SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
ALEUTIANS AND BECOME STATIONARY OVERNIGHT. THE UPPER LOW IN THE
NORTHERN PACIFIC WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM MOISTURE NORTH. WITH COLD
TEMPERATURES STAYING IN PLACE OVER THE CHAIN TODAY THROUGH MONDAY
SNOW WILL CONTINUE. A BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE
EASTERN ALEUTIANS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. A BLIZZARD
WATCH FOR THE ALASKA PENINSULA HAS BEEN UPDATED AND IS NOW IN EFFECT
FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THIS WATCH WILL BE UPDATED
DURING THE NEXT FORECAST PACKAGE. THE SNOW AND THE FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO ADVANCE NORTH ON MONDAY AS THE CENTER OF THE SURFACE LOW
APPROACHES THE EASTERN BERING. THE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE
BERING ON TUESDAY MORNING AND WINDS TAPER DOWN ALONG A WEAKER
PRESSURE GRADIENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LOW. THE SURFACE LOW WILL
APPROACH THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA BY TUESDAY EVENING. AT THIS POINT...THE
STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN BERING.
.LONG TERM FORECAST...
UPPER RIDGING ACROSS EASTERN ALASKA WILL BE PUSHED EAST BY A LONG
WAVE PATTERN OVER THE NORTHERN PACIFIC AND BERING. TEMPERATURES WILL
SLOWLY MODERATE ACROSS SOUTH ALASKA THROUGH LATE WEEK AS THE WARM
FRONT OVER TAKES THE ARCTIC AIR MASS. WITH A LONG WAVE PATTERN IN
PLACE AND SEVERAL SURFACE LOWS MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHERN
PACIFIC...CHANCES FOR SNOW AND RAIN CONTINUE THROUGH THE LONG TERM
FORECAST.
.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING 185
BLIZZARD WATCH 181
WIND CHILL ADVISORY 155 131 141 145
MARINE...GALE WARNING 121 127 128 129 130 132 137 138 140 150 155 160
165 170 172 175 176 179 180 185
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING 121 125 126 127 128 129 130
138 140 141 160 165 179 185
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.
KH JAN 134 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions were met at Dutch Harbor AWOS from 1556z January 27 through 1811z January 27, with winds gusting 30-33 mph, visibility reduced to 0.25 miles and heavy snow.
Toksook Bay reported peak conditions in the Kuskokwim Valley during this event, with visibility reduced to one-quarter of a mile with snow and winds gusting to 48 kts.
Blizzard conditions were also reported at Kipnuk.
Blizzard conditions lasted for approximately 3 hours at both locations.
One quarter of a mile visibility was reported at both King Salmon from approximately 3:00 a.m. through 7:00 a.m. on the 28th with blowing snow and peak winds gusting to 44 kt.
Iliamna also reported blizzard conditions, but between 7:00 am and 9:15 am, with peak winds gusting to 41 kt.
Blizzard conditions were measured for approximately 15 hours. Peak winds reached 43 kts with visibility reduced to one-sixteenth of a mile in heavy, blowing and drifting snow. Pipes froze in four homes. The value of damage reported is an estimates.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2013
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: 432267, 432287, 432286, 432268.