A strong low pressure system moved north from the North Pacific toward southcentral Alaska on 12/9 through 12/13 as the system, which consisted of a series of low pressure systems brought repeating periods of heavy snow and winds to the region extending from the Kenai Peninsula into the greater Prince William Sound.
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 AFC wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system moved north from the North Pacific toward southcentral Alaska on 12/9 through 12/13 as the system, which consisted of a series of low pressure systems brought repeating periods of heavy snow and winds to the region extending from the Kenai Peninsula into the greater Prince William Sound.
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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 9, 5:30 AM AKST, 9 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 530 AM AKST Sat Dec 9 2023 .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)... Key Messages: -A system will bring snowfall to the Kenai Peninsula into Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley today. Heaviest snowfall will be focused along the coast, as well as the Seward Highway from Girdwood south to Seward, where 3 to 6 inches of snow is possible by this afternoon. -Sunday through early next week: A series of low pressure systems will bring a nearly continuous stream of moisture into the Kenai and Chugach Mountains. Several feet of snowfall is likely for the mountains, including the higher elevation passes on the Seward and Richardson Highways. Discussion: An active winter weather pattern is well underway for southcentral Alaska. GOES water vapor imagery shows three items of interest: 1) A deep upper-level low spinning across southwest AK. 2) A shortwave trough rotating about the aforementioned low that is projected to lift across the Kenai Peninsula and the rest of southcentral Alaska later today. 3) A developing low that's currently (as of 430am Saturday) a couple hundred miles south of the central Aleutians that is expected to phase with the aforementioned SW AK low and then move into southcentral Alaska Sunday into early next week. As of 430am, radar imagery shows snow has already begun to spread across much of the Kenai Peninsula, with an area of light snow already entering the Anchorage Bowl and into the Mat-Su Valley as well. This is all in response to the shortwave trough coming out of the AK Peninsula and soon moving through the Kenai Peninsula. A weak surface low is expected to soon develop across the southern Kenai Peninsula and work its way up along the Gulf Coast before moving into the Prince William Sound by late afternoon. The heaviest precipitation today will be focused along the Kenai Mountains into the western and central Chugach, particularly closer to the coast as the surface low drives reinforces an upsloping component. Much of the Seward Highway from Girdwood south into Seward should receive in the neighborhood of 3 to 6 inches of snowfall, with the Portage- Whittier area receiving upwards of 12 inches. Areas from the western Kenai Peninsula northward through Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley should still pick up about 1 to 3 inches of snowfall as low/mid- level trough axis rotates northward. Precipitation will taper off for the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage- MatSu Valley this afternoon, but pick up towards Valdez and Cordova where a couple inches of snowfall will be possible this evening. Attention on Sunday then turns back to the west as a deepening area of low pressure over the North Pacific will move up near Kodiak Island, bringing widespread gale force (>34kt) and areas of storm force (>48 kt) winds to the Gulf of Alaska and Cook Inlet. Widespread precipitation will spread from Kodiak Island up into the Gulf Coast as a warm front lifts north throughout the day, bringing an atmospheric river into the coastal mountains. Recent model trends have the low center on a more westward trajectory up the Cook Inlet. This regime is a bit more favorable for downsloping across portions of the western Kenai northward through Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley. Meanwhile, heavy precipitation characterized by several feet of snow is likely for the Kenai and Chugach Mountains. For the road system, the heaviest snow is likely for Thompson Pass and Valdez, as well as portions of the Seward Highway. An influx of warmer air is likely to lead to rain/snow mix or rain for some coastal areas such as Seward and Whittier by Monday. While details remain uncertain, confidence is high the deep upper- level trough will drive another 2-3 areas of low pressure into southcentral Alaska through midweek. A near continuous stream of moisture will result in near continuous snow (/low-level coastal rain) for mountainous areas, with blizzard conditions possible in susceptible areas such as Thompson Pass. A big forecasting challenge with this series of systems will be the degree of 'inland' (including western Kenai and Anchorage area) precipitation as times of cross-barrier flow should subside, allowing precipitation to fill back in across the area. -Brown && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Today through Monday)... An unsettled weather pattern will continue over the Bering and Southwest Alaska through the weekend. The culprit being a persistent upper low with multiple troughs rotating through its broader cyclonic flow. Large scale synoptic lift associated with the low over Southwest is maintaining isolated to scattered light snow showers from the Kuskokwim Delta down into Bristol Bay. Additional convective snow showers are tracking from the Bering Sea into the Eastern Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula. Gusty conditions will promote blowing snow for coastal regions of Bristol Bay and parts of the Aleutians Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon. Attention then turns to Sunday with the expected development of a stronger upper low. Models continue to merge a shortwave trough lifting into the AKPEN from the North Pacific on Sunday with the persistent upper low over Southwest Alaska. This should result in moderate to perhaps heavy snow for the Greater Bristol Bay area over the latter half of the weekend into early next week. Increasing winds inland of the coast will spread a threat for blowing snow and potential blizzard conditions from Dillingham into New Stuyahok, Koliganek, and Iliamna. Snow accumulations through Monday morning could approach 4 to 8 inches depending upon where the stronger snowbands develop. A winter storm watch for potential blizzard conditions has been issued,effective Sunday morning through Monday morning. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7)...Tuesday through Friday... The weather pattern continues across the region through Friday. Ridging over the Western Bering and Canadian Provinces brackets the reorienting longwave trough over Mainland Alaska. A number of energetic shortwaves continuing their trek along the Western edge of the trough bring uncertainty to the composite blend of models over the initial periods. The closed low center in the mid-trough weakens through the end of the forecast period, as it loops around the Southcentral coast. With colder air pouring in with the trough, most precipitation will be snow showers over Western Alaska and along most of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutians. Along with the snow, gusty winds increase to gale force over the Eastern Bering, Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutians, diminishing late Thursday. Further West, a well developed Kamchatka low extends a front over the Western Bering and Aleutians, with mixed rain and snow as well as gales along the front through Friday. Over the Gulf of Alaska, transient lows and fronts from the North Pacific spool up a widespread multi-day precipitation event from the Alaska Peninsula to the Canadian Border. Coastal areas begin with locally heavy rainfall changing to snow further inland as the area spreads to the Alaska Range through the end of the week. Gusty winds offshore increase to gale force for Thursday and Friday, with a gale barrier jet along the North Gulf Coast late Thursday, diminishing Friday. Kutz && .AVIATION... PANC...Somewhat tricky AVN forecast for Anchorage today as an area of snow has already moved into the Anchorage bowl. MVFR CIGs may remain through much of the day with on/off light snow through the morning. Guidance indicates the heaviest potential for snow today will be in the 21-00z timeframe, which could lead to brief periods of IFR CIGs and/or VIS. That said, accumulation through the day should be minimal... with just around an inch expected. Winds out of the northeast should pick up a bit later with flow out of the Matanuska Valley. Conditions are expected to improve by this evening as the trough lifts out. -Brown &&
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
1025 AM AKST Sat Dec 9 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM Snow Soldotna 60.51N 150.91W
12/09/2023 M0.8 inch Kenai Peninsula AK NWS Employee
An NWS employee measured 0.8 inches of snow
overnight. Still snowing. Drifting snow.
&&5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Periods of heavy snow reduced visibilities to near zero along Seward Highway near Turnagain Pass.
Heavy snow with visibilities below 1/4 were reported along Seward Highway and the Whittier Access Road. Alaska 511 reported extremely difficult road conditions due to the heavy snow with observations showing the reduced visibilities.
Heavy snow would impact the Richardson Highway, closing the highway due to heavy snow and poor visibilities. Highway department reported 6-17 of snowfall with avalanches at MP 39 and 50.5. COOP observer in Valdez measured 11 inches of new snow.
From AK 511 (DOT) reported that the Richardson Hwy from MP 30 to MP 42 as of 6:56AM 12/11/23 had very difficult travel conditions with blowing and drifting snow, icy patches and packed snow on roadways. The DOT warned of possible road closure with travel not advised. Snow of 6 to 10 inches was reported.
Homer Police department around 1:15PM Dec. 10th. They said once you get past Anchor Point, the wind blows about 30 mph between Anchor Point into Homer. They said there are Whiteout conditions and snowing pretty good in Homer right now. The same was described for the Homer Bluffs when asked. Ob at PAHO as of 1:00PM was 2SM -SN 06014G27 OVC014. From AK 511 East End Road from Pioneer Ave to MP 20 as of 4:36AM 12/11/23: Overall Road Status: Difficult. Surface conditions: Drifting snow, snow on roadway, wet and icy roads. Atmospheric conditions: Rain/Snow mix. Warnings: Slippery road surface. Snow (inches): 1-10 inches.
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: 1149250, 1151716, 1151717, 1151718, 1151724.