Blizzard in Alaska, January 23, 2015

Name: Blizzard in Alaska, January 23, 2015
Start: 2015-01-23T11:00
End: 2015-01-23T16:35
Location: Alaska

January 23, 2015 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 1004 mb low east of Barrow coupled with a 1028 mb high pressure center over Eastern Russia created a strong pressure gradient over the eastern Arctic slope, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions during the day of the 23rd of January 2015. Zone 204: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Point Thompson AWOS.

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.

Zone 204: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Point Thompson AWOS. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow for several hours.

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 23, 4:57 AM AKST, 6 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 4:57 AM AKST, 6 hours 3 minutes before

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
457 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE SIMILAR THROUGH 48 HOURS WITH 500H FEATURES. BOTH THE
NAM AND THE ECMWF ARE LACKLUSTER IN TERMS PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS
OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. THE GFS PAINTS A LARGE AMOUNT OF
PRECIPITATION EAST OF FAIRBANKS. THE ECMWF APPEARS TO BE THE MOST
ACCURATE AS OF THE MOMENT.

STRONG ARCTIC FRONT LIES SOMEWHERE JUST WEST OF NENANA THIS
MORNING. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IS JUST SOUTH OF PRUDHOE BAY AND WILL
MOVE ABOUT 300 NM NORTH OF DEMARCATION POINT BY LATE FRI NIGHT.
THE DEEP COLD TROUGH WILL INCH ITSELF A LITTLE FURTHER EASTWARD
UNTIL THE TROUGH AXIS CUTS RIGHT THROUGH FAIRBANKS SUNDAY
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL END ANY SNOWFALL THEN AS THE PRECIPITATION
SHIELD IS MOVED INTO CANADA WITH THE LACK OF OVERRUNNING
POTENTIAL.

THE HIGH IN FAR EASTERN RUSSIA WILL SLIDE EASTWARD TO THE CHUKOTSK
PENINSULA AND THE GRADIENT WILL INCREASE OVER PORTIONS OF THE WEST
COAST. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF COLD AIR ALREADY IN PLACE WITH NEARLY
CLEAR SKIES...WIND CHILLS WILL LIKELY FALL TO AROUND 45 BELOW IN
SEVERAL PLACES ALONG THE WEST COAST.

AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW SPINS AROUND THE ARCTIC COAST AS IT MOVES
NORTHWARD...EXPECT CLOUDS AND FLURRIES THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

THE MOVEMENT OF THE ARCTIC FRONT DICTATES THE PLACEMENT OF THE
SNOWFALL OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR. THIS WILL MEAN THE DIFFERENCE
OF SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL TO NEARLY NO SNOWFALL WITHIN A TIGHT
SPATIAL DISTANCE. BUT AS IT APPEARS AS OF NOW...THE HEAVIEST
SNOWFALL WILL BE FROM EIELSON AFB EASTWARD. A COUPLE OF FEET OF
SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE..PARTICULARLY THE
SOUTH FACING SLOPES.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ207-AKZ210-AKZ213.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ225-AKZ226.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ222-AKZ223-AKZ224.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ245.
&&

CF JAN 15

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:51 AM AKST, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1051 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1044 AM     SNOW             FORT GREELY             63.96N 145.76W
01/23/2015  E3.0 INCH                           AK   EMERGENCY MNGR

            EMERGENCY MANAGER CALLED IN WITH 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW
            FALL.

&&

HLIND

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:53 AM AKST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1053 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1044 AM     SNOW             3 N NORTH POLE          64.80N 147.36W
01/23/2015  M2.6 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            MEASURED 2.6 INCHES OF SNOW FALL AT 8AM THIS MORNING.

&&

HLIND

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:55 AM AKST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1055 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1044 AM     SNOW             3 NE FAIRBANKS          64.87N 147.58W
01/23/2015  M1.7 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            MEASURED 24 HOURS SNOW FALL OF 1.7 INCHES ON BIRCH HILL
            AS OF 9 AM THIS MORNING.

&&

HLIND

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:56 AM AKST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1056 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1044 AM     SNOW             2 W FAIRBANKS           64.84N 147.72W
01/23/2015  M1.0 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            UNIVERSITY WEST SNOW FALL MEASURED AT 1 INCH AS OF 7AM
            THIS MORNING.

&&

HLIND

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:58 AM AKST, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1058 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1057 AM     SNOW             1 E CIRCLE HOT SPRINGS  65.47N 144.65W
01/23/2015  M2.5 INCH                           AK   CO-OP OBSERVER

            AS OF 9AM THIS MORNING MEASURED 2.5 INCHES FOR THE PAST
            24 HOURS.

&&

HLIND

Local storm report, Jan 23, 10:59 AM AKST, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1059 AM AKST FRI JAN 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1057 AM     SNOW             N COLLEGE               64.87N 147.82W
01/23/2015  M1.3 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            NWS MEASURED 24 HOURS SNOW FALL AT 9AM OF 1.3 INCHES.

&&

HLIND

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast

When: January 23, 11:00 AM AKST to 4:35 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 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, January 2015

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: 555907.