Blizzard, Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast
- When
- April 13, 9:00 AM AKST to April 14, 2:55 PM AKST
- Where
- Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
Blizzard in Alaska, April 13 to 14, 2016
A low pressure trough moving across the Arctic North Slope coupled with a 1035 mb high pressure center over the high Arctic created a strong pressure gradient over the eastern North Slope, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions on April 13th through the 14th. 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
- 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.
A low pressure trough moving across the Arctic North Slope coupled with a 1035 mb high pressure center over the high Arctic created a strong pressure gradient over the eastern North Slope, providing strong winds and blizzard conditions on April 13th through the 14th.
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. A peak wind of 39 kt (45 mph) was reported.
Zone 204: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Point Thomson AWOS. The visibility was reduced to one quarter mile or less in snow and blowing snow. A peak wind of 43 kt (49 mph) was reported.
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 Apr 13, 3:25 AM AKST, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 13, 3:25 AM AKST, 5 hours 35 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK 425 AM AKDT WED APR 13 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ALOFT... A WEAK LONG WAVE RIDGE STRETCHING FROM THE WESTERN US TO NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST OF ALASKA WILL REBUILD NEXT WEEK. A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE BERING SEA AND NORTHERN PACIFIC WILL PERSIST INTO NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP WEAK FLOW ALOFT THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING STEADY NEAR NORMAL. BY THE NEXT WEEK AS THE FLOW ALOFT TURNS SOUTH TEMPERATURES WILL RISE ABOVE NORMAL. A SERIES OF WEAK SHORT WAVES WILL ALSO CAUSE AREAS OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION. A LOW ALOFT NEAR KOTZEBUE WILL MOVE OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA TODAY...TO THE BERING STRAIT THU...AND OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND FRI. THERE IS AN AREA OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND FLURRIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. A LOW ALOFT OVER THE CANADIAN HIGH ARCTIC WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTHERN CHUKCHI SEA THU...AND OVER THE EASTERN NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA FRI. EXPECT FLURRIES WITH THIS ALONG WITH AN INCREASE OF WINDS OVER THE EASTERN ARCTIC ON FRI. SURFACE... A 1040 MB HIGH NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST WILL WEAKEN VERY SLOWLY THROUGH FRI. THIS IS CAUSING EAST WINDS 20-30KT FROM WAINWRIGHT EAST...WITH GUSTS TO 40 KT IN ZONES 203 AND 204. THIS IS CAUSING LOCAL VSBY OF 1/2 MILE IN BLOWING SNOW SO WILL ISSUE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ZONES 203...204 AND NORTHERN 206. THESE CONDITIONS AREA EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THU. AN ARCTIC FRONT STRETCHING FROM THE YUKON DELTA TO KIVALINA TO NORTHWAY WILL REMAIN QUASI-STATIONARY TODAY AND MOVE TO NUNIVAK ISLAND TO GALENA TO CHICKEN BY 4AM THU...TO NUNIVAK ISLAND TO TANANA TO EAGLE BY 4PM THU...AND THEN REMAIN STATIONARY INTO FRI. NE WINDS 15G25KT WILL OCCUR ALONG AND NORTH OF THIS FRONT. AN OCCLUDED FRONT FROM YAKUTAT TO WHITEHORSE WILL MOVE TO THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE BY 4PM WED...TO DENALI TO CHICKEN BY 4AM THU...TO DENALI TO EAGLE BY 4PM THU...AND TO MCGRATH TO JUST NORTH OF EAGLE BY 4AM FRI AND THEN STATIONARY. THE FRONT WILL CAUSE SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE ALASKA RANGE WITH ALL SNOW ABOVE 3000 FT. WILL SEE ISOLATED SHOWERS WITH THE FRONT NORTH OF THE ALASKA RANGE. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MIXED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS CHANGING TO ALL SNOW NORTH OF THE ARCTIC FRONT. .DISCUSSION... MODELS INITIALIZE WELL AND SHOW SIMILAR SOLUTIONS THROUGH FRI. MODELS DIFFER SLIGHTLY ON AREAS OF VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION AND WE ARE USING A COMBINATION OF THE GFS AND ECMF. && .FIRE WEATHER... SEE ABOVE SURFACE DISCUSSION. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ206. GALE WARNING FOR PKZ240-PKZ245. BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ230-PKZ235. && JB APR 16
Event by event
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, April 13, 2016
- Frost and Freeze in Virginia, April 13, 2016
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 13, 2016
- Flooding in Indiana, April 13 to 20, 2016
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, April 13, 2016
- High Wind in Oregon, April 13, 2016
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Eastern Pacific Coastal Waters, April 13, 2016
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, April 13, 2016
- Frost and Freeze in Maryland, April 13, 2016
- Frost and Freeze in West Virginia, April 13, 2016
- Flood in Florida, April 13 to 15, 2016
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2016
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: 633402.