A strong low pressure system moved across the northern Bering Sea resulting in heavy snow, strong winds, blowing snow, and blizzard conditions to areas along the West Coast from the Y-K Delta to the Bering Sea Coast and St. Lawrence Island.
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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 strong low pressure system moved across the northern Bering Sea resulting in heavy snow, strong winds, blowing snow, and blizzard conditions to areas along the West Coast from the Y-K Delta to the Bering Sea Coast and St. Lawrence Island.
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 6, 2:47 PM AKST, 9 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
247 PM AKST Wed Dec 6 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
Our active pattern continues, particularly for the West Coast with
continuing rounds of high winds and heavy snow persisting, leading
to winter weather impacts. Slightly more settled over the Interior
with chances for light snow. Still more quiet along the North
Slope with passing flurries. Should become colder again into the
weekend for much of the area.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Upper Levels...
Good agreement and accuracy amongst 12Z global models today as
they match up fairly well with observations and satellite showing
a slow moving, strong 500mb low beginning its push across the
northern Bering Sea, and a shortwave weakening along the northern
coast of the Gulf of Alaska. The stronger, dominating low over the
Bering Sea has deepened slightly today with multiple rounds of
strong snow showers and winds. A shortwave emanating from this
low has also helped to bring light snow to much of the Central
Interior as well. There is very good upper pattern agreement
through Saturday amongst models for this low to progress across
the YK Delta and southern portions of the Western Interior into
Saturday. Beyond that, there is okay agreement for large scale
troughing to develop over the Aleutians and Gulf of Alaska into
the work week. WPC cluster analysis mostly agrees with a 500mb low
height anomaly digging into this area around Days 5-7 but there
is still a somewhat mixed bag for exact placement, strength, and
persistence.
At the Surface....
A 988mb stacked low in the northern Gulf of Alaska continues to
weaken this afternoon and should spin out overnight. As it does,
the light snow it created in the eastern Interior should begin to
peter out. A larger, deeper surface low pressure over the northern
Bering Sea continues to strengthen and move over St. Lawerence
Island, with several attending fronts that have lead to periods of
heavy snow and strong winds across the Seward Peninsula today,
which will continue. Elsewhere, some light snow and stratus
continues under fronts aloft.
West Coast and Western Interior...
The strong low pressure system that continues to deepen and
progress across the northern Bering Sea this afternoon will
persist in bringing winter weather conditions to the West Coast.
One more heavy push of snow from the south that is impacting the
southern coast of the Seward Peninsula into Unlakleet is already
visible on Nome radar pushing eastward. This will contain high
winds to 50 mph and heavy snowfall with rates of 1"/hour or
greater that will lead to a period of reduced visibilities to near
zero at times, particularly for areas near Nome. Additionally,
for areas from Nome to Wales around 3 feet of surge is possible,
leading to high surf which may push ice onto the beach. We have
upgraded the Winter Weather Advisory for the Nome area to a Winter
Storm Warning for the high winds and heavy snow. This is also
possible along the YK delta, especially as winds turn
northwesterly into tomorrow.
As the low pushes southeast a tight pressure gradient will
develop on the backside behind an arctic front. This will lead to
strong winds shooting down the Bering Strait and into St.
Lawerence Island. These winds, with gusts up to 45 mph should
linger into the weekend. This will also lead to a strong
convergence zone creating a single band ocean-effect type snowband
impacted Little Diomede and St. Lawerence Islands. This will
likely be a healthy snow band with ocean-induced CAPE of 300-400
J/kg and a moist model sounding through and beyond the DGZ. These
conditions persist through Friday. Strong winds and high waves
could also lead to freezing spray causing ice accumulations along
portions of St. Lawerence island. Elsewhere, expect on and off
squally activity to continue with CAA over the Bering Sea with
mostly open waters.
Central and Eastern Interior...
Light snow and flurries this afternoon should continue to ramp
down in intensity and coverage this afternoon and evening as the
shortwave over the northern Gulf of Alaska breaks down and slides
east through Thursday afternoon. We could see a period of no
precipitation Thursday, though we may struggle to break out of the
clouds. More light snow and flurries are possible Friday into
Saturday as the remnants of the Bering Sea low push east. An inch
or two is possible, especially along the Yukon River and into the
south Brooks Range. Behind this, expect stout CAA and a drop in
temperatures into the weekend with highs below zero. Into next
week, southerly flow from the Gulf of Alaska may lead to a Chinook
wind setup for the Alaska Range, though exact details are fuzzy
yet. As that low moves east, we could see the potential for some
more light back door snowfall.
North Slope and Brooks Range...
Pretty quiet for the North Slope as stratus slowly decreases in
coverage. Could see some flurries and low ceilings return once
again as a weak front aloft moves over the area late week. Some
light snow Friday and Saturday remains possible for the Brooks
Range with a couple inches possible. Colder temperatures are
expected here as well as we go into the weekend behind stout CAA
following the powerful low moves across the Bering Sea today. That
cold air could stick around this area into next week as an arctic
front develops across the Interior thanks to high pressure
development in the Eastern Pacific and an active pattern across
the Gulf of Alaska.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ801.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ814-815-817-824.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ820-821-827.
Winter Storm Warning for AKZ822.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ825.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ850.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ801.
Gale Warning for PKZ802.
Gale Warning for PKZ803.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ804.
Gale Warning for PKZ805-852.
Gale Warning for PKZ806.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ806.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ807-817-851-854-856-857.
Gale Warning for PKZ807-808-810-811-855-857.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ809.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ812-816.
Gale Warning for PKZ816.
Gale Warning for PKZ817-851.
Gale Warning for PKZ850.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ850-853.
Storm Warning for PKZ853-854.
Gale Warning for PKZ856.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
652 PM AKST Wed Dec 6 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0215 PM Blizzard Teller 65.26N 166.36W
12/06/2023 Nome AK ASOS
Peak wind gusts nearing 60 mph along, with
snow falling brought visibility down to 1/4
mile or below.
0333 PM Blizzard Nome Airport 64.51N 165.44W
12/06/2023 Nome AK Public
Visibility reported at 1/4 mile or less.
With with wind speeds gusting up to 60 mph
blowing the fresh snow on the ground.
0456 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Teller 65.26N 166.36W
12/06/2023 M57 MPH Nome AK ASOS
Teller ASOS reported a maximum wind gust of
57.5 mph.
0551 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Golovin 64.54N 163.03W
12/06/2023 M41 MPH Nome AK ASOS
Golovin ASOS reported a peak wind gust of
41.4 mph at 17:51 local time.
0610 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Nome Airport 64.51N 165.44W
12/06/2023 M61 MPH Nome AK ASOS
Peak wind gust reported at Nome Airport of
61 mph.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Teller (PATE) AWOS reported wind gusts of up to 64 mph. Blizzard conditions accompanied the strong winds for a number of hours.
The Gambell Marine Exchange C-MAN station (GBXA2) reported high winds in excess of 60 mph. A peak wind gust of 83 mph was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2023
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: 1153111, 1153115.