Tight pressure gradient produced local high winds along the Bering strait on November 9th through the morning of the 10th. Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Gambell AWOS.
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.
Tight pressure gradient produced local high winds along the Bering strait on November 9th through the morning of the 10th.
Zone 213: Blizzard conditions were observed at the Gambell AWOS. There was a peak wind gust of 52 kt (60 mph) at the Gambell AWOS.
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 Nov 8, 3:32 PM AKST, 8 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 332 PM AKST Thu Nov 8 2018 .DISCUSSION... Synopsis... Much of northern Alaska will remain quiet today as a weak shortwave tracks eastward across the central and eastern Interior. A few snow showers will be possible, though no significant accumulation is expected. However, to the west, a Bering Sea low west of St. Lawrence Island will track eastward, pushing ahead a weather front which will bring gusty winds and mixed precip to much of the west coast and western Interior beginning this morning and spreading north and east into Friday. Minor coastal impacts are possible due to high surf. The initial wave will move across the Interior Saturday, bringing chances for light snow accumulations. Aloft 500 mb... A weak mid level shortwave trough extending south from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks continues to track east through the Interior, and will reach the AlCan border by early Friday. This wave will be followed in quick succession by a modest ridge, which should briefly clear skies and cause a subsequent drop in temperatures throughout the central and eastern Interior Friday. The main feature of interest will be a 511 dam low approx 250 nm southwest of St. Lawrence Island. This low will merge with a 508 dam low which will move east from Kamchatka. The combined longwave trough will broaden aloft and spawn a series of shortwaves which will move east and north across the west coast and Interior over the next several days. A strong ridge will build along the eastern Pacific coast Saturday and cut across the northern periphery of the Bering low. The low will move south across the Aleutians Saturday, then drift slowly east into the Gulf of Alaska into early next week. The system may become semi cutoff as high pressure pinches in from the northeast and northwest early next week. Models... Solid initialization at 01/12Z with reasonable placement of the front in the eastern Bering Sea. Excellent continuity through 15Z and 18Z showing frontal passage through St. Matthew Island. This shows models are handling the speed of the front well, resulting in good agreement through the next 24 hours. Beyond this time, broad mid level troughing is creating a difficult dynamical picture resulting in a conglomeration of surface spinups across the Bering Sea, with each model displaying minimal run to run continuity through the weekend. However, by late Friday, models do seem to agree on the deepening of a surface low somewhere along a trough axis running south from the parent low to the Aleutians. This system should deepen further to absorb the Bering low by Sunday as the mid level trough drops south. North Slope and Brooks Range... A weak shortwave trough continues to bring scattered snow showers and areas of fog to the eastern Arctic coast. This should gradually abate through this evening as the system moves east and winds become more offshore. A weak front will move north along the Chukchi coast Saturday, facilitating clouds and snow showers west of Utqiagvik into Sunday. High pressure will then move in from the northwest and gradually build along the coast into next week. Cold arctic air will infiltrate the region, returning temperatures to seasonable norms by mid next week. West Coast and Western Interior... A strong front is currently working its way onshore from the Bering Sea, bringing gusty winds and locally heavy snow. The front will move northeast from the Y-K Delta this evening to the lower Yukon Valley and southern Seward Peninsula tonight, then to the southern Brooks Range late Friday. Strong southerly flow behind the front will support locally heavy snow along upslope favored areas of the southern Seward Peninsula and Nulato Hills. Total accumulations through Saturday of generally 1 to 3 inches are expected with the exception of the aforementioned upslope areas where up to 6 inches is possible. However, the heaviest snow should be short lived as it will be mainly confined near the frontal boundary. Warm air intrusion at the surface will also tend to lessen snow accumulation near the immediate coastline and could result in periods of mixed rain and snow Friday. Additionally, gusty southerly winds along the Norton coast and lower Yukon Delta will cause high surf Friday along with a modest rise in water levels particularly along the southern Seward coast. We will continue to monitor for any further impact, though this scenario seems marginal at best. Central and Eastern Interior... Scattered snow showers will taper off this evening across the Tanana Valley and Yukon Flats as a weak shortwave pushes east into Canada. A ridge will sweep quickly eastward Friday ahead of the leading front of the Bering low as it tracks further inland. Snow will move into the central Interior from Bettles to Lake Minchumina by Friday afternoon, then Fort Yukon to Fairbanks by early Saturday morning. An elongated trough will remain in place through late Saturday across the region from Bettles to Fort Yukon to Eagle, and will facilitate on and off snow showers through that time. A powerful shortwave will sweep north from the Gulf of Alaska Sunday, with widespread snowfall likely in and north of the Alaska Range. Chinook conditions may inhibit significant snow across the Tanana Valley, though the exact track of the system will the extend of the downsloping effect. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4... In addition to the concerns noted above, strong northeast winds are expected to begin Sunday across the southern Chukchi Sea into the eastern Bering Sea. Impacts will be possible along the norther Seward coast as well ans the northern shores of the Yukon Delta and St. Lawrence Island. We will continue to monitor. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Surf Advisory for AKZ211-AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ215-PKZ230. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ230. Gale Warning for PKZ210. && COWMAN NOV 18
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Gambell AWOS. There was a peak wind gust of 52 kt (60 mph) at the Gambell AWOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, November 2018
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: 788416.