An area of low pressure over the Arctic Ocean combined with a strong area of high pressure of high pressure over Norton Sound brought blizzard conditions to the Arctic Coast of Alaska.
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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.
An area of low pressure over the Arctic Ocean combined with a strong area of high pressure of high pressure over Norton Sound brought blizzard conditions to the Arctic Coast of Alaska.
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 22, 2:21 PM AKST, 9 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
221 PM AKST Mon Jan 22 2024
.SYNOPSIS...High pressure remains situated over the Bering Sea
while an Arctic trough remains situated across the Eastern
Interior today. An upper level low traversing the Arctic will
sweep its associated surface front across the North Slope tonight
into Tuesday, bringing snow, gusty winds, and blowing snow to the
region. Cold air will remain entrenched across the Interior over
the next several days. While uncertainty still exists late in the
period, cold temperatures may moderate some heading into the
weekend and into next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Synoptic Analysis and Forecast...
A 548 dam ridge of high pressure remains situated across the
Bering Sea today, while a 506 dam Arctic trough lingers across the
Eastern Interior. With 850mb temperatures generally trending the
-25C to -35C range, temperatures at the surface have been very
cold across much of the Interior. Fairbanks recorded its first -40
minimum temperature of the season, while Fort Yukon reported a
low of -51F this morning.
A strong 475 dam low traversing the Arctic will sweep a surface
front across the North Slope tonight into Tuesday, bringing gusty
winds, snow, and blowing snow to the region. The high aloft over
the Bering will dampen on Tuesday, allowing for more zonal flow to
set up over much of the state Tuesday night into Wednesday. The
upper level low making its way across the Arctic looks to make
landfall over Banks Island on Thursday. More of an upper level
troughing pattern looks to set up across northern Alaska Friday
and into the weekend.
Overall, models generally align well in regards to the weather
pattern in the short term. The only changes in the immediate near
term forecast are an increase of POPs along the Seward Peninsula
and Arctic Coast to reflect most recent radar trends and SREF
guidance. For winds, trended towards a blend of the ECMWF/NAM/CMC.
Outside of the short term, there remain discrepancies in the
overall pattern set up, especially over the weekend and into early
next week.
North Slope and Brooks Range...An upper level low traversing the
Arctic will sweep a surface front across the North Slope tonight
into Tuesday. This system will bring gusty winds to 40 mph, snow,
blowing snow, and very cold wind chills of -50 to -55 to region
into midweek. Snow amounts look to remain light, generally at an
inch or less. However, new snow and gusty winds will produce areas
of blowing snow and could reduce visibilities for areas along the
North Slope down to 1/2 mile at times. Winter Weather Advisories
remain in place for the entire coast and portions of the Dalton
Highway, including Anaktuvuk and Atigun passes.
West Coast and Western Interior...Overall, it remains rather
quiet along the West Coast and Western Interior with high pressure
persisting over the Bering Sea. With the passage of a front along
the Northwest Arctic, winds along Kotzebue Sound have started to
pick up this morning. This has made for dangerously cold wind chills
in the area through at least the remainder of the afternoon. Winds
should die down by this evening, but this will warrant watching
over the next few hours. Otherwise, expect cold temperatures to
continue, with lows across the Western Interior looking to dip
down to 30 to 40 below zero the next few days. Lows along the
water (especially the Yukon Delta) are a bit more moderate and
only look to dip down into the single digits to teens below zero.
Central and Eastern Interior...Cold temperatures will continue
through the near term as very cold, Arctic air settles across the
Central and Eastern Interior. There will not be much of a
difference between daily highs and lows - with lows across the
Interior valleys generally trending in the -30 to -40F range and
highs trending in the -25 to -35F range. The Yukon Flats look to
be the coldest spot, with overnight lows dropping down into the
-50 to -55F range and highs only warming into the -35 to -45F
range. Areas of dense ice fog could develop during this
prolonged cold snap as well.
Extended Forecast Days 4-7...Models continue to struggle with the
overall pattern in the extended forecast, especially over the
weekend and into early next week. While they do hint at an upper
level troughing pattern setting up across northern Alaska on
Friday, plenty of uncertainty remains in the exact placement of
the trough axis and its evolution over the weekend. In regards to
temperatures, plenty of spread remains amongst ensemble guidance.
The EC ensembles currently look to hold on to the cold snap a bit
longer with it continuing through weekend. The GEFS suggests more
of a moderation of temperatures for the Interior over the weekend,
with increased southerly flow into the region and increased chances
of POPs. Have trended the forecast this way for now - with more
of a moderation in temperatures expected over the weekend and
increased chances of POPs for the Interior starting Friday. Will
have to see how guidance trends and converges on a solution over
the next few days.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ801>803.
Wind Chill Advisory for AKZ816-817.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ804-805.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ808-809.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ806-854.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ807.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ810-856.
Gale Warning for PKZ811-857.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ812-858-859.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ813-814-860.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ815.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ815.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ861.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions developed the morning of the 23rd at both deadhorse and Nuiqsut.
Blizzard conditions developed on Barter Island the morning of the 23rd.
Blizzard conditions developed at Point Thomson the evening of the 24th and continued to the evening of the 25th. A peak wind gust of 43 mph occurred during this event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2024
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: 1160762, 1160763, 1160764.