Strong winds occurred on the summits of 220 on December 30th due to the pressure gradient between a 966 mb low in Bristol Bay and high pressure over Canada.
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 AFG wrote it up.
Strong winds occurred on the summits of 220 on December 30th due to the pressure gradient between a 966 mb low in Bristol Bay and high pressure over Canada.
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 Dec 30, 6:17 AM AKST, 6 hours 23 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 617 AM AKST WED DEC 30 2015 .DISCUSSION... A PROGRESSIVE AND VERY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. RECENT MODEL RUNS OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE SHOWN GOOD CONTINUITY IN FORECAST WINDS ALOFT ACROSS THE ALASKA RANGE FOR THE HIGH WIND EVENT EXPECTED TODAY. THIS PATTERN WILL BRING MUCH WARMER TEMPERATURES TO NORTHERN ALASKA. UPPER LEVELS... UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS NOW EXTENDS FROM CAPE LISBURNE TO EAGLE AND SOUTHEASTWARD. A STRONG SHORT WAVE IMPULSE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE ALASKA INTERIOR TODAY AND PUSH THE RIDGE NORTHEASTWARD INTO CANADA. VERY STRONG SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW ALOFT WILL BE RAPIDLY SPREADING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND WEST COAST THIS MORNING AS THE IMPULSE MOVES NORTH...INCREASING AN ALREADY TIGHT GRADIENT. THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD TO A LINE ST LAWRENCE ISLAND-KIVALINA-UMIAT BY THIS EVENING...THEN WEAKENING AS IT CONTINUES NORTHWESTWARD TO THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA AND THE CHUKCHI SEA LATE TONIGHT. A MODERATELY STRONG SOUTHEAST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE INTERIOR AND WEST COAST TONIGHT AFTER THE SHORT WAVE IMPULSE PASSES BY. ANOTHER SHORT WAVE IMPULSE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN INTERIOR THURSDAY...RESULTING IN ANOTHER BURST OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS ALOFT ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALASKA RANGE THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY EVENING. THIS NEXT EVENT WILL BE LESSER IN MAGNITUDE THAN TODAYS HIGH WIND EVENT. FOLLOWING THIS SECOND IMPULSE...ANOTHER RIDGE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE ALASKA INTERIOR FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING...FOLLOWED A THIRD PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS ALOFT ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALASKA RANGE. SURFACE... A VERY STRONG 952 MB LOW CENTERED OVER BRISTOL BAY WILL WEAKEN TO A 965 MB CENTER OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND BY THIS EVENING...THEN WEAKEN RAPIDLY INTO A TROUGH FROM THE GULF OF ANADYR SOUTHWARD BY FRIDAY MORNING. FOR TODAYS HIGH WIND EVENT... NEAR THE ALASKA RANGE IN THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY...NAM12 MODEL INDICATING 800 MB WINDS OF 100-120 KT AND BOUNDARY LEVEL WINDS AS STRONG AS 90-100 KT. NAM12 CROSS SECTION INDICATES STRONG DOWNWARD MOTION IN EXCESS OF 45 KT IN THE LEE OF THE ALASKA RANGE IN THIS UNUSUALLY STRONG MOUNTAIN WAVE EVENT. WE ARE EXPECTING GUSTS AS HIGH AS 100 MPH IN AREAS MOST PRONE TO STRONG WINDS. IN DENALI...700 MB WINDS PROGGED TO INCREASE TO AS HIGH AS 80-90 KT THIS MORNING. 800 MB WINDS MAX OUT AT 70-90 KT. NAM12 CROSS SECTION INDICATES STRONG DOWNWARD MOTION EXCEEDING 45 KT IN THE LEE OF THE ALASKA RANGE CREST. IN AREAS ALONG THE RAILBELT...SURFACE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY THROUGH EARLY MORNING...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. IN AREAS NEAR THE ALASKA HIGHWAY IN THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE... LOWER LEVEL WINDS ALOFT ARE EXPECTED TO MAX OUT AT AS HIGH AS 100 KT AT AROUND 750 MB...WITH DOWNWARD MOTION EXCEEDING 45 KT IN THE LEE OF THE ALASKA RANGE CREST. SURFACE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY THROUGH EARLY MORNING...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 100 MPH EXPECTED AT THE WINDIEST SITES THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. IN AREAS NEAR DELTA JUNCTION...WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY THROUGH EARLY MORNING...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. LOWER LEVEL WINDS ALOFT MAX OUT AT ABOUT 80 KT...BUT FORECAST DOWNWARD VERTICAL MOTION IS LESS AND IN MUCH SHALLOWER LAYER THAN IN AREAS FURTHER TO SOUTH...SO CONFIDENCE IN FORECAST WIND SPEEDS IS LESS THAN FOR AREAS FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. TWO MORE STRONG WIND EVENTS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE ALASKA RANGE BEFORE THE WEEKEND...BUT WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED ERE EXPECTED TO BE NOTICEABLY LESS THAN THOSE EXPECTED IN TODAYS EVENT. WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR AREAS... A 952 MB STORM CENTERED OVER BRISTOL BAY WILL MOVE TO ST LAWRENCE ISLAND THIS EVENING...WEAKENING TO 966 MB. THE LOW WILL WEAKEN RAPIDLY LATER TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING AS IT MOVES WEST OF ST LAWRENCE ISLAND. THE STORM WILL BRING STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF THE WEST COAST TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND HIGH WIND WARNINGS CONTINUE IN EFFECT THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST...EASTERN NORTON SOUND AND NULATO HILLS...AND THE YUKON DELTA...WHERE WINDS GUSTING TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND THE BERING STRAIT COAST THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... WITH SNOW CONTINUING TONIGHT. STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 9 INCHES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. WINDS GUSTING TO 45 TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA COAST...BALDWIN PENINSULA AND SELAWIK VALLEYS...AND THE NORTHERN AND INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA THROUGH TONIGHT. OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA COAST...2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. ELSEWHERE IN THE WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR...PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN...SNOW OR MIXED...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN IN SOME AREAS. OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES IN THE WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR... PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAINLY RAIN THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE CHANGING TO OR BECOMING MIXED WITH SNOW LATER TONIGHT AS TEMPERATURE COOL SOME. ARCTIC SLOPE... WINDS GUSTING UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST FROM POINT LAY SOUTH. SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT IN MOST AREAS...EXCEPT OVER THE WESTERN ARCTIC COAST WHERE ABOUT 2 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT. NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. EXTENDED OUTLOOK... ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK...WITH AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN LIKELY CONTINUING. ONE OR MORE ADDITIONAL CHINOOK WIND EVENTS MAY OCCUR IN THE ALASKA RANGE. COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ215-AKZ216. BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ213. HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ214-AKZ223-AKZ225-AKZ226- AKZ227. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ230. && RF DEC 15
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gust of 48 kt (55 mph) at Eagle Summit SNOTEL.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2015
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: 611477.