A powerful storm to hurricane force low moved into the Gulf of Alaska and then into the Western Interior, rapidly tightening the pressure gradient across the state. Strong winds developed ahead of the low and was accompanied by widespread accumulating snowfall and blowing snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 powerful storm to hurricane force low moved into the Gulf of Alaska and then into the Western Interior, rapidly tightening the pressure gradient across the state. Strong winds developed ahead of the low and was accompanied by widespread accumulating snowfall and blowing snow.
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 Nov 8, 3:05 PM AKST, 9 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
305 PM AKST Wed Nov 8 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
Already gusty winds on the Arctic Coast become even stronger
overnight and gust to 70 mph Thursday. Those winds combine with
light fresh snowfall and residual snow to create long-duration,
very limited visibility down to 1/2 mile Thursday into Friday
morning so Winter Storm Warnings were issued. Gusty easterly
winds along the Dalton Highway north of Fairbanks further increase
overnight and are joined tomorrow by locations across and
immediately north of the Alaska Range with wind headlines in
effect. Light widespread to locally moderate snowfall is expected
in the West and Central Interior tonight into Thursday night.
Warm temperatures are expected in the Southeast Interior Thursday,
reaching the mid-30s. A low pressure moves into the Bering Sea
still Sunday to create concerns for late weekend to early week
heavy snowfall in western Alaska and Central Interior and localized
minor coastal erosion on the West Coas. Another low may then
quickly follow that up on Tuesday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Upper levels, analysis and model discussion...
Low pressure will further deepen over the Gulf of Alaska for the
next twelve hours. High pressure over the Arctic Coast has moved
back eastward over the last 24 hours and into the western Chukchi
Sea by this afternoon. Models have varied on the placement of the
best QPF in guidance over the last 12 hours, but the chance of it
being within the general interior West and Central parts of
Alaska remains very high for tonight into Thursday. This will help
to create moderate snowfall in parts of the West and Central
Interiors by Thursday night.
Central and Eastern Interior...
High pressure over the interior of northwest Canada and low pressure
in the Gulf of Alaska have aided the formation of a Tanana Valley
Jet with strong easterly winds ongoing this afternoon already. The
zone encompassing the greater-Delta Junction area is seeing gusts in
the low-40 mph already where a Wind Advisory continues into
tonight. Peak wind gusts are expected to decrease late tonight
before another round of gusty winds develops downslope of the
Alaska Range, with gusts immediately north of the range up to 70
mph possible. The previous Wind Advisory has been upgraded to a
High Wind Warning for these travel potential impacts along the
Richardson Highway Thursday into Thursday night. Further northward
though, easterly winds gusting to 50 mph north and west of
Fairbanks persist tonight and then slowly decrease Thursday PM. No
changes were made to those Wind Advisories covering the Dalton
Highway and Tanana River Valley west of Fairbanks. Light snowfall
remains likely along and west of the Dalton Highway Thursday night
as the low in the Gulf lifts northward into the West Interior,
but the eastward extent remains a bit uncertain yet. The current
forecast for up to 2 inches covers the ongoing uncertainty well.
Beyond the wind and light snowfall, warm downsloping temperatures
are expected Thursday daytime in the Southeast Interior.
West Coast and Western Interior...
Weak mid-level low pressure over the West Coast begins to draw
moisture northward tonight into the Interior of Central and West
Alaska. A low pressure centered in the Gulf of Alaska moving
northward phases with that low to further deepen over the far West
Thursday as light snowfall begins tonight. Ensemble probabilistic
guidance shows a 70% chance of 4-5 inches of snowfall between
Shungnak and Bettles tonight and ending Thursday night in the West
and Central Interior. Other locations on the Seward Peninsula may
observe up to a few inches of snowfall as the low retrogrades
westward later Thursday and the richest moisture is located
overhead. At this point no warning headlines are anticipated with
the lower-end snowfall amounts forecast. Expect snowfall to taper
by Friday morning as the deeper low drops southward into Southwest
Alaska and a mid-level ridge moves overhead Saturday.
North Slope and Brooks Range...
Already strong easterly onshore winds over the Arctic Coast will
only further increase tonight with a tightening pressure gradient.
The forecast of gusts from 55 to 65 mph over many of the near-
coastline locations continues today and may bring impacts to area
communities late tonight into Friday morning. What has increased
though is the confidence in widespread blowing snow creating longer-
duration visibility around 1/2 mile in this 30 hr time period. The
previous High Wind Watches were upgraded to Winter Storm Warnings
due to the combination of both those already-expected wind impacts
and better confidence on long-duration very low visibility. The
winds begin to taper Friday morning, but low visibility may linger
into Friday midday. A warm front moves overhead Saturday night to
create a wind shift to southerly, with colder daytime temperatures
likely with the overland flow.
Extended Forecast Days 4-7...
A ridge of high pressure over the Bering Sea Saturday night quickly
gives way to an incoming low pressure moving through the Bering
Straight. Six to twelve hours of strong 25 to 35 mph southeasterly
winds north of the Seward Peninsula may create minor coastal erosion
near and southeast of Point Hope Sunday midday to early overnight,
but there still remains low confidence on any exact locations and
details. Model guidance has increased the pace at which this
system moves through the West Coast over the last 24 hours, which
has decreased the potential of widespread minor coastal flooding.
At this point, the best potential for heavier snowfall looks to
be Sunday evening into Monday, especially for the West and Central
Interior. Scattered snow showers linger into Tuesday as a more
southerly-located low pressure may move onshore into Southwest
Alaska Tuesday night to create another round of heavy snowfall.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Storm Warning for AKZ801.
Winter Storm Warning for AKZ802>805.
Wind Advisory for AKZ812-832-834-846.
Wind Advisory for AKZ837.
Wind Advisory for AKZ847-848-850.
High Wind Warning for AKZ849.
PK...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ801.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ802-808.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ804-805-852.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ804.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ805.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ806-807-854.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ806-852.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ807.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ808-810>815-856>861.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ809.
Gale Warning for PKZ810-812-856-858.
Storm Warning for PKZ811-857.
Storm Warning for PKZ813>815-859>861.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ816-851-855.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ817.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ850-853.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ855.
&&
NLyThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 blizzard, 3 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Nuiqsut (PAQT) ASOS. Wind gusts up to 47 mph were reported and were accompanied by visibility of 1/4 mile or less in blowing snow.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were observed at the Point Thompson (PAAD) AWOS. Visibility was reduced to 1/2 mile or less at times in blowing snow.
Strong winds developed on the north side of the Alaska Range. Wind gusts up to 75 mph were observed at the K24KX Donnelly Dome USARRAY site.
Point Hope (PAPO) AWOS reported wind gusts in excess of 60 mph with a peak gust of 68 mph. In addition to the strong winds, blowing snow reducing visibility to 1/2 mile at times was reported.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were observed at the Barter Island (PABA) AWOS. Visibility was reduced to 1/2 mile or less at times in blowing snow.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Atqasuk (PATQ) AWOS. Wind gusts up to 48 mph were reported and were accompanied by visibility of 1/4 mile or less in blowing snow.
Blizzard conditions were observed at the Point Lay (PPIZ) AWOS. Wind gusts up to 50 mph were reported and were accompanied by visibility of 1/4 mile or less in blowing snow.
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, November 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: 1148161, 1148162, 1148164, 1148159, 1148163, 1148169, 1148167.