Alaska, 2015

Blizzard in Alaska, January 26 to 27, 2015

January 26 to 27, 2015 · NWS AFG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A 1004 mb low near Banks Island on the 26th coupled with a strong 1031 mb high pressure center over the Brooks Range created a strong pressure gradient over the eastern Arctic Slope, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions during the day of the 26th of January 2015 and lingering into the 27th. Zone 203: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Deadhorse ASOS.

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.

A 1004 mb low near Banks Island on the 26th coupled with a strong 1031 mb high pressure center over the Brooks Range created a strong pressure gradient over the eastern Arctic Slope, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions during the day of the 26th of January 2015 and lingering into the 27th.

Zone 203: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Deadhorse ASOS. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow.

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. There was a peak wind gust of 43 kt (49 mph) at the Point Thompson AWOS, and a peak wind gust at the Barter Island AWOS of 47 kt (54 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 26, 3:50 PM AKST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 3:50 PM AKST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
350 PM AKST MON JAN 26 2015

.DISCUSSION...
OVERALL THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM. THE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MODELS DECREASE BY THE END OF THE WEEK.

A COLD CORE 490 DM LOW THAT IS CURRENTLY JUST NORTH OF BARTER
ISLAND WILL MOVE EAST WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OFF TO THE EAST
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH STRETCHES FROM THE
LOW TO UMIAT...THIS FEATURE WILL MOVE OFF TO THE EAST ALONG WITH
THE LOW. AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE WESTERN
INTERIOR WILL BUILD OVER THE NORTH SLOPE OVERNIGHT AND INTO
TUESDAY.

NORTH SLOPE...A SURFACE LOW NORTH NORTH OF BARTER ISLAND WILL
COUPLED WITH BUILDING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE INTERIOR
WILL HELP TO TIGHTEN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
NORTH SLOPE THIS EVENING...PARTICULARLY ZONES 202...203 AND 204.
THE INCREASED PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL HELP TO INCREASE WINDS THIS
EVENING IN ZONES 202...203 AND 204. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL
CONTINUE IN ZONE 204 THROUGH LATE TOMORROW MORNING. NEAR BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE IN ZONE 203 THROUGH TOMORROW LATE
TOMORROW. THE BLIZZARD WARNING IN 204 AND THE WINTER STORM WARNING
FOR 203 LOOK TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE. WE PUT OUT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY
FOR 202 UNTIL NOON TOMORROW AS THE WINDS SHOULD PICK UP A BIT THIS
EVENING AND WIND CHILL VALUES SHOULD DECREASE. FLURRIES OR LIGHT
SNOW SHOWERS ALONG WITH BROKEN LOW LEVEL CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED WILL
CONTINUE TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF THE EASTERN NORTH SLOPE AS SHORT
WAVE PASSES THROUGH. SKIES SHOULD CLEAR UP AND WINDS SHOULD DIE
DOWN TOMORROW AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN.

WEST COAST...WINDS WILL DECREASE TONIGHT AS AN OLD WEATHER FRONT
OVER THE BERING STRAIGHT COAST WEAKENS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM
INCREASE SLIGHTLY TOMORROW ACROSS MOST COASTAL AREAS. THERE ARE
NO WIND CHILL ADVISORIES FOR THE WEST COAST ZONES AT THE MOMENT.
ALTHOUGH A FEW ISOLATED LOCATIONS COULD FLIRT WITH ADVISORY
CRITERIA...THE DECREASING TREND IN WINDS COMBINED WITH INCREASING
TEMPERATURES RESULTED IN A DECISION NOT TO ISSUE ANY WIND CHILL
PRODUCTS.

INTERIOR...THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON WERE OBSERVED IN
MAY LOCATIONS TODAY. CLEAR SKIES AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS ACROSS THE INTERIOR. SIMILAR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED ACROSS THE INTERIOR TOMORROW. WARMER AIR ALOFT IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE IN TO THE REGION BY THE END OF THE WEEK...THIS
WILL RESULT IN A SLOW WARMING TREND LATE IN THE WEEK. WARMER
TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY COME FIRST TO THE HILLS...WITH THE FLATS
AND VALLEY BOTTOMS TAKING A BIT LONGER TO WARM UP.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ202-AKZ218.

WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ203-AKZ206.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ204.

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

RM JAN 15

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast

When
January 26, 7:15 PM AKST to January 27, 2:55 PM AKST
Where
Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Peak wind gust of 47 kt (59 mph).

Blizzard, Central Beaufort Sea Coast

When
January 27, 5:31 AM AKST to 9:31 AM AKST
Where
Central Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 555906, 555905.