Alaska, 2014

Blizzard in Alaska, January 23 to 24, 2014

January 23 to 24, 2014 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

With strong high pressure persisting over the Arctic Ocean, a trough over western Alaska intensified northward early on the 23rd causing winds to increase over the western Arctic Coast. Blizzard conditions were likely, as reported by the Point Lay AWOS and Wainwright ASOS starting in the very early hours of the 23rd and extending just past midnight.

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.

With strong high pressure persisting over the Arctic Ocean, a trough over western Alaska intensified northward early on the 23rd causing winds to increase over the western Arctic Coast. Blizzard conditions were likely, as reported by the Point Lay AWOS and Wainwright ASOS starting in the very early hours of the 23rd and extending just past midnight.

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 22, 2:50 PM AKST, 11 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 22, 2:50 PM AKST, 11 hours 24 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
250 PM AKST WED JAN 22 2014

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS SIMILAR THROUGH 48 TO 60 HOURS. NAM APPEARS TO BE MORE
ACCURATE ON PRECIPITATION THOUGH. HUGE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE
THE FORCE TO RECKON WITH FOR THE NEXT WEEK.

RIDGE OVER THE ENTIRE WEST COAST WHICH IS SENDING A MONSTROUS
SUPPLY OF WARM AIR NORTHWARD HAS SENT TEMPERATURES SOARING TO WAY
ABOVE NORMAL. PRECIPITATION HAS TURNED TO LIQUID FORM OVER MUCH OF
THE STATE EXCEPT NORTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE.

THE NEXT FRONT IS MOVING NORTH OVER THE WEST COAST THIS EVENING.
ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE ENERGY WILL SMACK THE GULF
COAST...AGAIN...THERE WILL BE AN AMOUNT THAT MAKES IT AROUND THE
RIDGE AND UP THE WEST COAST IN THE FORM OF MIXED PRECIPITATION.
AS THE HIGH IN THE HIGH ARCTIC BUILDS SOUTHWARD AND THE NEXT
STRONG LOW MOVE CLOSER TO EACH OTHER THEN THE GRADIENT WILL
TIGHTEN ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST. CERTAINLY LOWER VISIBILITY IN
BLOWING SNOW MAY BE THE RULE BUT NOT EXPECTING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
TO OCCUR WITH THIS EVENT.

STRONG WINDS OVER THE INTERIOR THROUGH THE ALASKA RANGE PASSES
WILL CONTINUE AS WE CONTINUE UNDER THE SOUTHERLY FLOW FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS.

&&

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

FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY FOR AKZ224.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ201-AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ214-AKZ215-
AKZ216-AKZ227.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ230-PKZ245.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

CF JAN 14

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Arctic Coast

When
January 23, 2:14 AM AKST to January 24, 12:53 AM AKST
Where
Western Arctic 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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 494254.