Strong high pressure centered over the eastern Beaufort Sea combined with low pressure stretched across the Arctic Coastal plain resulted in persistent easterly winds gusting 40 to 60 mph along the eastern Arctic coast. The combination of strong winds and falling snow created areas of blowing snow and blizzard conditions at times for two days.
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 high pressure centered over the eastern Beaufort Sea combined with low pressure stretched across the Arctic Coastal plain resulted in persistent easterly winds gusting 40 to 60 mph along the eastern Arctic coast. The combination of strong winds and falling snow created areas of blowing snow and blizzard conditions at times for two days. Winds diminished and conditions improved when the pressure gradient weakened.
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 11, 4:27 AM AKST, 9 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 527 AM AKDT Thu Apr 11 2019 .DISCUSSION... A few wind related issues are expected across the area over the next 24 hours. Strong easterly wind are expected to develop today along the Arctic Coast (especially over the eastern Arctic Coast). Blowing snow is expected to develop as the winds pick up. Winds will also be an issue near the Alaska Range. Strong southerly gap winds are expected near passes. The strong winds will be combined with low relative humidity values from Delta Junction south to Isabel Pass. The models have are in decent agreement for the first 48 hours before they start to diverge. In addition, over the past few days, a lot of run to run consistency issues have been noted in the models after about 48 hours. As such, our forecast confidence is a little bit lower after the first 48 hours. Aloft, at 500 mb, much of northern Alaska is currently situated under a ridge while a 528 dam low remains in place near Point Hope. A 509 dam low south of Unalaska will push north of the Aleutians into Bristol Bay today where it will persist through Friday. As this happens, it will split the ridge into two parts. By this evening, one part will move over the Chukotsk Peninsula while the other part will move into the Yukon Territory. This will leave much of the area under the influence of a broad trough for Friday. A ridge will build to the east on Friday across the Bering Sea. Friday night this ridge will help to push the through east into the Interior. The ridge looks to be in place over the west coast for Saturday night and Sunday with the trough stretching over the eastern Arctic Coast and the Eastern Interior; however, the models differ on the exact details of this at the moment. Central and Eastern Interior: The main issue today will be winds near the Alaska Range. A trough of low pressure will strengthen along the north side of the Alaska Range today causing strong southerly gap winds to develop. Areas along the Richardson Highway from Delta Junction south to Isabel pass will will see winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Elsewhere today, another mild day is expected today with highs in the mid 50s expected for much of the upper and middle Tanana Valley. High temperatures in the 40s will extend as far north as Bettles today. There is a chance for some isolated to scattered afternoon and evening showers today, mainly from Fairbanks north and east. On Friday the winds will die down in the Alaska Range, although some light southerly gap winds will persist. Temperatures look to be a few degrees cooler on Friday when compared to Thursday. Scatted showers are expected north and west of Delta Junction on Friday into Friday night. North of the Yukon River the temperatures will be cool enough that any precipitation that does fall will be in the form of snow. Friday night the precipitation type will change over to snow south of the Yukon River. Chances for daytime rain and nighttime snow shower will continue for Saturday and Saturday night, although the models differ on the exact details of the placement and amount of the precipitation after Friday night. North Slope and Brooks Range: The main issue today will be strong easterly winds along the Arctic Coast, especially the eastern Arctic Coast. An area of high pressure over the Beaufort Sea will strengthen today causing the pressure gradient along the coast tighten up. As this happens, easterly winds will increase all along the coast. Current thinking is that the strongest winds will be along the coast from Deadhorse to Point Thomson where gusts up to 50 mph are possible. This will cause blowing snow that will reduce the visibility to one half mile or less at times. The strong winds look to persist through the day on Friday before starting to diminish Friday night. The previous shift issued Winter Weather Advisories for zones 203 and 204. These advisories look in good shape; however, I did push back the ending time slightly. West Coast and Western Interior: A strong low will move into the southern Bering Sea today. This will cause gusty east to northeasterly winds to develop today along the coast south of the Bering Strait as well as on St. Lawrence Island. Gusts up to 35 mph are expected for the Yukon Delta as well as on St Lawrence Island. On Friday we will see some rain showers in the western Interior with snow showers expected for Friday night. The models are hinting at a band of more significant precipitation devloping from Galena south to McGrath early Saturday; however at the moment there is a lot of uncertainty in the exact details of this. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .FIRE WEATHER... Most of the upper and middle Tanana Valley will see minimum relative humidity values below 25 percent today. A trough of low pressure will strengthen on the north side of the Alaska Range today resulting in the development of strong, southerly gap winds. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected near passes with gusts to 40 mph. The strong winds will be coincident with very low RH values along the Richardson Highway from Delta Junction south to Isabel Pass. Thus, a pair of Red Flag warnings have been issued for zones 223 and 226. The gap winds are expected to subside early Friday. Friday looks to be a bit cooler than Thursday for much of the Interior with slightly higher RH values. In additions there will be increased chances for showers on Friday, mainly to the north and west of Delta Junction. && .HYDROLOGY... Many stations in the middle and upper Tanana Valley will see temperatures in the 50s the remainder of the week with highs in the 30s to lower 40s as far north as Bettles, and in the Yukon Flats. With warming temperatures and freezing levels rising to 3500 to 5000 feet, means breakup will be progressing, so extreme caution should be used crossing any of the Interior rivers as the ice continues to rot and be eroded from below, and runoff will be moving into the mainstem rivers. Caution should also be used on lakes as the ice melts at different rates. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning for AKZ223-AKZ226. Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ203-AKZ204. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ210. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ230-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245. && APR 19
2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong east winds with frequent gusts over 40 mph resulted in blizzard conditions with visibility less than 1/4 of a mile at times. The lowest conditions were reported at the village of Nuiqsut (PAQT).
Strong east winds gusting as high as 58 mph combined with falling snow resulted in blizzard conditions with visibility below 1/4 of a mile at times. The strongest winds and lowest visibility were reported at the Pt. Thompson (PAAD) oil field.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2019
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: 827177, 827178.