A very cold airmass over Northern Alaska combined with winds over 15 mph resulted in bitterly cold wind chills across the eastern North Slope and through Brooks Range passes.
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.
A very cold airmass over Northern Alaska combined with winds over 15 mph resulted in bitterly cold wind chills across the eastern North Slope and through Brooks Range passes.
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 27, 12:02 PM AKST, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 1202 PM AKST Mon Jan 27 2020 .SYNOPSIS... A very cold airmass will continue over Northern Alaska for the coming week. Very cold wind chills are occuring over the Eastern North Slope, through the Brooks Range and Alaska Range passes, and along much of the West Coast, and over the Steese and Elliott Highway Summits in the INterior. The cold temperatures and low wind chill values will persist through mid-week and possibly through late in the week. Temperatures will range from 30s and 40s below with a few 50s below in the coldest spots over the Western Interior and North Slope, to the teens and 20s below in cloudy or windy areas along the West Coast and in windy areas of the Eastern Interior and Eastern North Slope. There will be pockets of 50s below in the Koyukuk Valley and the inland North Slope where conditions are clear and not windy. Areas of snow will move north over the Eastern Interior and Eastern North Slope through Wed, with temps in the teens and and 20s below when it is cloudy, then dropping into the 30s and 40s below during the brief clearing periods between clouds and snow. && .DISCUSSION... Aloft at 500 mb, A very deep long wave trough stretches from the North Pole south over Alaska into the Gulf of Alaska. This trough will persist through Fri then become progressive over the weekend as a ridge builds over the Gulf of Alaska and Mainland Alaska. This trough aloft has very cold temperatures which are being manifested at the surface with 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s below. The very cold airmass will persist through the end of the week, then begin to moderate over the weekend. A series of weak short wave troughs are making their way north over the Eastern Interior and Eastern North Slope in the southerly flow on the east side of the long wave trough. These short waves will bring periods of clouds and flurries to the Eastern Interior and Eastern North Slope through Tuesday, with clearing south of each short wave. A strong short wave trough currently south of the Aleutians will move to the northern Gulf of Alaska Tuesday night, and over the Eastern Interior Wed into Thursday. This will bring snow and slightly warmer air to the Interior Wednesday and Thursday. On the Surface, A 1032 mb high over the Chukchi Sea will weaken slowly through Wed. A ridge of high pressure stretching from this high east over the North Slope of Alaska will persist through Tuesday then move north of the Arctic Coast on Wed. A low pressure trough stretching from north of Prudhoe Bay to Atqasuk will move to Barter Island northeast by Tuesday afternoon, and then dissipate. North Slope and Brooks Range, A patchwork of mostly clear skies and areas of stratus along with patchy fog and flurries are accompanying a weak trough as it moves east out of the Eastern North Slope today. West winds 15-20 kt along the Eastern Arctic Coast are occuring east of this trough, with the winds decreasing west of the trough. This is causing Wind chills to 50 to 70 below in zones 203 and 204. North winds 15-30 mph blowing out of this high through Brooks Range Passes are causing very cold winds chills along the south slopes of the Brooks Range. This is also causing blowing snow through passes. West Coast and Western Interior, A ridge of high pressure stretching from the Chukchi Sea south over the Bering Sea will persist through Wednesday. A low pressure system in the northern Gulf of Alaska will weaken slowly through Tuesday. The gradient between these systems is causing north winds of 10-25 kt along the West Coast, with Capes and Points of the West Coast having the strongest winds and coldest wind chills. Mostly clear skies and light winds under the very cold airmass aloft it producing temperatures in the 30s and 40s below with a few spots in the 50s below. Clouds will begin to push into the area on Tuesday and Tuesday night which will warm temperatures into the 20s and 30s below on Wednesday and Thursday. Central and Eastern Interior, The gradient between the Bering Sea High Pressure system and the low moving into the northern Gulf of Alaska is also causing NE winds along with blowing snow and cold winds chills over Summits of the Elliott, Steese and Dalton Highways south of the Yukon River. In addition, the strong gradient is causing north winds gusting to 30 mph and cold wind chills and blowing snow through Alaska Range Passes. The cold temperatures, gusty winds and low wind chill values through the Alaska Range Passes and over the highway summits will continue through Tuesday. A very strong low developing in the southern Gulf of Alaska on Tuesday will move to the Northern Gulf of Alaska on Wed with an occluded front moving to the Kenai Pen to Burwash Landing by 3pm Wed. This will spread snow to the SE Interior Wed and Wed night and over much of the Interior on Thu. This will also enhance north winds between the Brooks Range and Alaska Range on Wed and keep the cold wind chills going. Models initialized well aloft at 12Z and initialized well at 18z. Models show similar solutions through Tuesday evening, then start to see differences on timing and strength of strong low moving north over the Gulf of Alaska Tue night and Wed. 850 mb temperatures range from -22C along the West Coast to -35C over the Eastern Interior and Eastern North Slope. 850 MB temps will remain cold into Tue, then begin to slowly increase Tuesday night and Wednesday, with a more sharp increase on Thursday. Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ203-AKZ207-AKZ208-AKZ209-AKZ210- AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214-AKZ215-AKZ217-AKZ220-AKZ221-AKZ225-AKZ226. Wind Chill Warning for AKZ204-AKZ206. Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ218. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ210. && CCC JAN 20
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ambient temperatures around -40 F combined with winds from 15 to 20 mph resulted in frequent wind chill readings around 70 below zero. The coldest wind chill of -72 F was reported at the village of Anaktuvuk Pass.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2020
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: 874421.