A low pressure system northwest of Point Hope brought a front over the Chukchi Sea Coast, resulting in freezing rain, snow gusty winds, and blowing snow from areas west of Utqiagvik.
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 low pressure system northwest of Point Hope brought a front over the Chukchi Sea Coast, resulting in freezing rain, snow gusty winds, and blowing snow from areas west of Utqiagvik.
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 Dec 4, 1:18 PM AKST, 8 hours 52 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
118 PM AKST Sun Dec 4 2022
.SYNOPSIS...West Coast remains active as a couple more low
pressure systems will be moving north across the area. Very strong
southeast to south winds, mixed precipitation, and the potential
for an ice shove for the West Coast. See Warnings and Advisories
for details. offshore flow for most of the Arctic with gusty south
winds near the Brooks Range passes with some blowing snow.
Clearing across the Interior today, then increasing clouds
overnight with some light snow moving into the area Monday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Models...Solutions continue to struggle. Still a lot of
inconsistency, and it continues to show up in the 04/12Z and
04/18Z solutions. Winds not as strong with the systems on the West
Coast so will need to adjust them up. There is a lot of difference
in the precipitation as the front moves across the state Monday so
will be leaning more on the ECMWF and NAM as it gets into the
Interior. Most of the changes we will make this forecast cycle
will be in the near term to maintain continuity with the previous
forecast package.
Aloft...At 500 hpa...The primary ridge axis extends from a 567
dam high 400 nm south of Prince William Sound north over Fairbanks
to Deadhorse and north this afternoon with longwave trough now
lying from a 478 dam low over Yakutia to the Western Gulf of
Anadyr to the Pribilofs then south over the Pacific. A 487 dam low
has moved over the Northwest Bering Sea. By Monday morning the
ridge axis will lie over McCarthy to Chicken to Kaktovik as it
slides east. The longwave trough will lie from a 476 dam low just
south of the New Siberian Island over the Siberian Coast to the
Bering Strait to Kotlik to Cape Newenham to Sand Point and south.
A weak ridge will right behind the trough will move over the Gulf
of Anadyr to Nunivak Island to Unimak Island, while the low in the
Northeast Bering Sea will remain stationary at 985 mb as a trough
associated with it moves to lie southeast from the low across the
Bering Sea over Adak. Monday afternoon the ridge axis will be
over the AlCan and Beaufort Sea while the rapidly decaying
longwave trough will move to lie over the Southwest Arctic to
Point Barrow to Indian Mountain to Kodiak City. The weak ridging
behind the trough will move over the Chukchi Sea and Western
Interior, while the low in the Bering Sea will move across the
Northern Bering Sea with the associated trough moving to lie over
St Matthew Island to Dutch Harbor. At 850 hpa...Warm air continues
to surge north, but cooler air will be moving in Monday. 0C and
warmer temperatures have been pulled north over most of the state
today as the high amplitude ridge is moving east across the
state, but temperatures will be cooling just as rapidly as they
warmed up as the ridge continues to slide east. Monday morning
temperatures around -10C will be pulled back of the West Coast,
and by Monday afternoon temperatures over most of the forecast
area will be back below 0C.
Surface...High pressure in the Interior is weakening as the low
pressure to the west pushes east into the state. Leeside troughing
has developed north of the Alaska and Brooks Ranges as a 976 mb
has moved near Gambell. Strong pressure gradients across the
ranges will bring strong gusty south winds and some blowing snow
to areas near the passes. By Monday afternoon high pressure will
be holding on along the AlCan Border as a decaying weather front
moves across the Western Interior into the Central Interior.
Offshore flow in the Arctic will weaken as leeside troughing over
the plains moves over the Arctic Coast. A 994 mb low will be in
the southwest Arctic. By Tuesday morning another front will be
making its way to the Lower Yukon Delta as a 991 mb low moves to
Cape Romanzof.
Arctic Coast and Brooks Range...Offshore flow and south winds
through the passes but overall pretty quiet. A mix of clouds
through Monday with some blowing snow and patchy fog as winds will
be gusting to 30 to 60 mph. Strongest winds on the northwest
coast west of Point Lay. Blowing snow reducing visibility at
times. Winds southeast to southwest at 20 to 40 mph with lighter
winds in the plains will be diminishing in the afternoon Monday.
Low temperatures tonight will range from the single digits to
upper 20s above, with lows Monday night in the single digits to
mid teens above with the warmest temperatures in the Eastern
Brooks Range. High temperatures Monday will range mid 20s to mid
30s except in the teens east of Deadhorse.
West Coast and Western Interior...Wind, rain, snow, ice shove,
and elevated water levels too. This system will push through
overnight, with a short respite Monday before the next system
moves to the coast spreading snow north up the coast. Strong
southeast to south winds will continue in the coastal areas with
the strongest wins just offshore from the Bering Strait to Point
Hope 35 to 55 mph gusting to 75 mph on the capes. Most of Norton
Sound and Kotzebue Sound will have winds 25 to 40 mph gusting
around 55 mph through the night. Moving inland winds will be east
to south at 10 to 20 mph and gusty. Low temperatures tonight will
be in the 20s above, while Monday night they fall to the teens and
20s above. High temperatures Monday will range from upper 20s to
mid 30s above.
Central and Eastern Interior...Breaks in the clouds tonight, then
increasing clouds Monday with increasing chance of snow as a
decaying weather front moves east across the area in the afternoon
and evening. Snowfall through Monday evening will be less than
one inch. Winds variable to around 5 mph, except south winds
gusting to 50 mph near the Alaska Range passes, and Tanana Valley
Jet setting up around Delta Junction with winds gusting around 40
mph. Low temperatures tonight and Monday night will range from
single digits below to the teens above except around 20 in the
Alaska Range. Highs on Monday will range from teens above to
around 30.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.
Extended forecast for days 4 to 7...A quieter period of weather
with mores seasonable temperatures and chances of snow through the
weekend.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Storm Warning for AKZ207>209-211-213-217.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ210-212.
PK...Gale Warning for PKZ200-215.
Gale Warning for PKZ201.
Storm Warning for PKZ210.
Gale Warning for PKZ220.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ220-225.
Storm Warning for PKZ225.
Gale Warning for PKZ230.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ230.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ235.
Gale Warning for PKZ235-240.
Gale Warning for PKZ245.
&&
SDB NOV 221 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Point Hope and Wainwright observed sustained winds near 50 mph and gusts up to 65. Cape Lisbourne had several gusts of 98 mph. This winds caused significant visibility restrictions at times.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2022
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: 1070338.