Blizzard in Alaska, January 17 to 18, 2014

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, January 17 to 18, 2014
Start: 2014-01-17T21:00
End: 2014-01-18T14:48
Location: Alaska

January 17 to 18, 2014 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong 1037 mb high pressure centered 400 miles north of Wrangell Island coupled with a low pressure center in the central Bering Sea produced strong winds and blowing snow and local blizzard conditions for portions of the north slope during the 18th. Zone 203: Blizzard conditions were observed at Deadhorse from approximately 2100AKST through 1200AKST on the 18th.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Zone 203: Blizzard conditions were observed at Deadhorse from approximately 2100AKST through 1200AKST on the 18th. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in blowing snow. There was a peak wind gust of 41 kt (47 mph) at the Deadhorse ASOS.

Zone 204: Blizzard conditions were likely at Barter Island, as the AWOS visibility was frequently one-quarter mile with winds gusting to 48 kt (56 mph).

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 17, 12:53 PM AKST, 8 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 12:53 PM AKST, 8 hours 7 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1253 PM AKST FRI JAN 17 2014

.DISCUSSION...
ALOFT...THE DEEP LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE BERING SEA AND NORTH
WEST PACIFIC COMBINED WITH HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE
WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA LIKELY TO REMAIN IN PLACE ON THE
WHOLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. A DEEP TROUGH
REMAINS FROM THE CANADIAN ARCHIPELAGO SOUTHEAST AND IS
CONTRIBUTING TO BRUTAL COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDS CHILLS ON THE
NORTH SLOPE.

...ON THE SURFACE FOCUS IS ON A 956 MB LOW CENTERED OVER BRISTOL
BAY WHICH IS PROGGED TO MOVE NORTHWEST TO BE 150 NM SOUTHWEST OF
NUNIVAK ISLAND THIS EVENING AND NEAR 60N 170W AS A 960 MB LOW
SATURDAY MORNING AND JUST NORTH OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND AS A 962 MB
LOW SATURDAY EVENING. A VERY STRONG GRADIENT BETWEEN A 1036 MB
HIGH OVER SIBERIA AND THE LOW CONTINUES TO CREATE STORM FORCE
WINDS OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA AND THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT
WHERE 70 MPH WIND GUSTS ARE NOW OCCURRING. WIND GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH
ALONG WITH WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS NOTED AT MANY LOCATIONS
SOUTH OF THE SEWARD PENINSULA ALONG AND NEAR THE COAST.

ONGOING WARNINGS LOOK ON TRACK FOR EVOLUTION OF CURRENT STORM
WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW CONTINUING TO MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE
SEAWARD PENINSULA AND WESTERN BROOKS RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND ONTO
THE NORTH SLOPE THIS EVENING. SNOW MAY MIX WITH FREEZING RAIN AT
TIMES ALONG THE YK DELTA AND WESTERN INTERIOR SOUTH OF GALENA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING BEFORE WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WITH COLDER AIR
ALOFT MOVES BACK INTO THE AREA AND CHANGES THE PRECIP BACK TO SNOW
LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR BLOWING SNOW ACROSS THE INTERIOR
FOR BLOWING SNOW ON SUMMITS AND WIND ADVISORIES THROUGH THE ALASKA
RANGE ALSO ON TRACK WITH WINDS GUSTING IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH ON
INTERIOR SUMMITS. WINDS GUSTING IN THE 50 TO 65 MPH RANGE THROUGH
THE ALASKA RANGE.

LOOKING PAST THE CURRENT STORM THE HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERN ALOFT
WILL STEER ANOTHER POWERFUL STORM WITH A VERY SIMILAR TRACK AND IS
FORECAST TO MOVE NORTH OUT OF THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC INTO THE
BERING SEA MONDAY NIGHT. MODELS HAVE A 965 MB LOW OVER COLD BAY
MONDAY MORNING AND MOVE THE LOW NORTH TO BE LOCATED NEAR NUNIVAK
ISLAND AS A 975 MB LOW MONDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW
POSSIBLY MIXING WITH FREEZING RAIN LOOK LIKELY FOR THE YK DELTA
BEGINNING SUNDAY NIGHT AND SNOW FOR THE SEWARD PENINSULA AND
WESTERN INTERIOR SOUTH OF THE BROOKS MONDAY. WINDS WILL LIKELY
REACH ADVISORY LEVELS AGAIN THROUGH THE ALASKA RANGE SUNDAY NIGHT
AND CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE ACROSS THE INTERIOR WELL INTO NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ223-AKZ225-AKZ226-AKZ227.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ201-AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ205-
AKZ206-AKZ207-AKZ208-AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ214-AKZ215-
AKZ216-AKZ217.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ213.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ218-AKZ219-AKZ220-AKZ221.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ245.

STORM WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ225.

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

CCC JAN 14

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When: January 17, 9:00 PM AKST to January 18, 12:00 PM AKST
Where: Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast

When: January 18, 12:49 AM AKST to 2:48 PM AKST
Where: Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast 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 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, January 2014

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: 493447, 494259.