A large upper ridge over the northern Pacific extended into the Bering Sea which set the stage for a series of fronts to top the ridge and affect Western and Interior Alaska with several waves of wintry weather. The first front approached the west coast of Alaska with strong winds and Blizzard conditions on the 21st of December.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 large upper ridge over the northern Pacific extended into the Bering Sea which set the stage for a series of fronts to top the ridge and affect Western and Interior Alaska with several waves of wintry weather. The first front approached the west coast of Alaska with strong winds and Blizzard conditions on the 21st of December. A more potent system came ashore the following day thanks to a strong eastward moving shortwave moving from eastern Siberia into the western interior of Alaska. This second system brought mainly heavy snowfall to western Alaska, but strong gusty winds were noted as well. Finally a third low and cold front moved into the interior as the previous system had flattened the upper ridge. This allowed for ample moisture to enter the Interior allowing for heavy snowfall across the central Interior December 24th and 25th.
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 20, 2:12 PM AKST, 14 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
212 PM AKST Sat Dec 20 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A series of storms brings periods of moderate to heavy snow and
gusty winds across the West Coast, Western Interior, and Central
Interior Monday through Thursday. Snow will fall in 3 distinct
waves, each pushing further into the Interior. The third wave
containing the most potential snow is expected late Tuesday
through early Thursday bringing potentially heavy snow as far east
as the Fairbanks North Star Borough. This is a complicated pattern
which leads to lower confidence in exact snowfall amounts and a
wide range of snow potentials for much of the region. A brief
warmup is expected with this snow before cold temperatures return
Thursday through next weekend.
&&
.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...
Central and Eastern Interior...
- Cold temperatures through Monday with valley lows in the -30s to
-50s. Temperatures briefly warm Tuesday through Thursday with
highs reaching above 0 in the Central Interior before cooling
back to lows in the -30s to -50s late next week.
- Snow expected Tuesday through Thursday throughout the Fairbanks
North Star Borough, Central Interior, and Western Alaska Range.
Snow accumulations of 4 to 12 inches possible with the heaviest
snow currently expected late Tuesday through Wednesday. A winter
storm watch has been issued.
West Coast and Western Interior...
- A N-S oriented front stalls along the West Coast late Saturday
through Monday morning.
- Additional snow of 2 to 4 inches expected.
- Gusty southerly winds through the Bering Strait of 35 to 50 mph
leads to periods of blizzard conditions.
- Blizzard Warnings have been issued for Point Hope, Wales, Tin
City, and Diomede.
- Two waves of snow wash over the West Coast and Western Interior
late Monday through Wedensday. Additional snow accumulations of
6 to 12 inches possible in the Northwest Arctic Borough and
between 5 and 10 inches expected along the Southern Seward
Peninsula and Eastern Norton Sound. Winter Storm hazards have
been issued.
North Slope and Brooks Range...
- Southerly winds increase late tonight into Sunday with gusts of
20 to 30 mph possible west of Point Barrow.
- The strongest gusts of 30 to 50 mph expected along the
Lisburne Peninsula and at Point Hope. A blizzard warning has
been issued.
- A series of storms brings widespread snowfall and gusty winds to
the Western Arctic Coast and Western Brooks Range late Sunday
through Wednesday.
- The heaviest snow is expected along the southwestern slopes of
the Western Brooks Range with 6 to 12 inches possible.
- Gusty winds could lead to periods of reduced visibility due to
blowing snow.
- There is a chance of strong westerly winds Thursday through next
weekend which may lead to periods of low visibility due to
blowing snow and possible blizzard conditions.
&&
.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...
At the start of the forecast period, Saturday, a large 568
decameter upper level high over the North Pacific extends a ridge
through the Bering Sea and a 488 decameter upper level low in
Canada extends a trough through the Eastern Interior. A weak
shortwave moving through this pattern has brought some
intermittent cloud cover and very light snowfall through the
Interior which will clear through Saturday allowing valley
temperatures to fall once more.
A series of three lows will attempt to move over the ridge and
into Northern Alaska Sunday through Thursday. The first approaches
late Saturday as a north-south oriented front bringing strong
southerly winds through the Bering Strait and along the Chukchi
Sea Coast as well as the first wave of snow for the West Coast.
This front stalls along the West Coast as it pushes against and
weakens a surface high in the Interior. 1 to 4 inches of snow
falls with this first system mostly along the West Coast with
greater accumulations along south facing slopes.
The second low approaches the West Coast late Monday as the
stalled front begins to dissipate. This second system should have
an easier time riding over the north side of the Bering Sea ridge
due to the stalled front helping to suppress the northern extent
of the ridge, however recent model trends are favoring the ridge
strengthening further and pushing this next low further north.
This low is the strongest of the 3 systems around 995 to 1000
millibars as it approaches and will bring additional snow to the
western portions of the state Tuesday. This system is most likely
to primarily affect the Northwestern Alaska including the Kobuk
Valley and Western Brooks Range. However if it can suppress the
ridge further it may be able to move further into the Interior
bringing more substantial snowfall to the Central Interior too.
The third low is slightly weaker and likely to follow a similiar
track as the second. This one is able to tap into some additional
moisture from a low in the North Pacific, on the western side of
the ridge, and will be the most likely low to push moisture
further east into the Central Interior Tuesday through Thursday.
However due to the many interactions between the ridge, these 3
lows, and the new North Pacific low complicating the forecast,
many of the more specific details are still very low confidence.
Should the North Pacific low not degrade the high that supports
the ridge as much as models currently indicate, much of the
moisture may not reach very deep into the Interior. Thus there is
a very large range of potential total snowfall for the Fairbanks
area next week of around 3 to 6 inches on the low end and 10 to 14
inches on the high end. Given this uncertainty, a good snowfall
estimate still cannot be made at this time.
&&
.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...
For Tuesday night through next Saturday.
At the start of the extended forecast period, late Tuesday, the
third of a series of lows approaching the West Coast arrives. The
exact track of this low is still very uncertain and is largely
dependent on the strength of a higher pressure ridge south of the
low. The stronger the ridge, the further north this low will move.
The further north this low, the less snow will fall in the Central
Interior. Confidence is higher for considerable snowfall in the
Northwest Arctic Borough with a range of 5 to 12 inches of snow
expected Tuesday through Wednesday. For the Central Interior this
same system could bring 3 to 6 inches with a more northerly
solution to 10 to 14 inches should a more southerly solution
verify. Recent trends in the forecast are beginning to favor a
more northerly solution, but forecast certainty is still too low
to give a good snowfall estimate for the Central Interior.
Regardless, this system will allow for more warm air to move over
the Interior and falling snow will help disrupt the cold air stuck
in the Central Interior valleys bringing a brief warmup with
temperatures from the Middle Tanana Valley west reaching above 0.
After the snow passes, there is high confidence in a considerable
cooldown as colder dense air settles over the region once more
late next week. This cooldown has the potential to be even colder
than seen this past week with low temperatures in the -30s to -50s
for much of the Interior and in the 0 to -20 range for much of the
coast.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Blizzard Warning for AKZ801-820-821.
Winter Storm Watch for AKZ813>817-819.
Winter Storm Warning for AKZ822>824.
Winter Storm Watch for AKZ834-838>847.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ801.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ802.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ804.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ805.
Gale Warning for PKZ806-807-856.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ808-855-858.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ809.
Gale Warning for PKZ810.
Gale Warning for PKZ811-857.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ812.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ816.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ816.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ817.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ817-854.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ850.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ851.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ851.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ852.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ853.
Gale Warning for PKZ854.
&&
StokesThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter storm, 2 blizzard, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The Wales AWOS (PAIW) reported consistent wind gusts from the south of between 35 mph and 50 mph. At the same time the visibility was reported to be at or below 1/4 mile in heavy snow and blowing snow.
The Rocky Point SNOWTEL (RPTA2) reported a snow depth increase of 8 inches from late afternoon December 21 through mid morning December 22. During this time frame the Nome ASOS (PAOM) reported several hours of 1/4 mile visibility in heavy snow with winds gusting 30 to 35 mph. Local media outlets reported that Bering Air cancelled 26 flights in and out of Nome as of December 23.
The Unalakleet AWOS (PAUN) reported steady snowfall throughout the day on December 22nd with a period of heavy snow and visibilities dropping to 1/4 mile several times during the late morning and early afternoon hours. ENE winds gusted to above 40 mph through much of the day. While Blizzard conditions were not consistent, there were reports of blizzard conditions ongoing through much of the day due to blowing snow.
The Selawik AWOS (PASK) reported periodic blizzard conditions with 1/4 mile visibility at various times during the afternoon hours of December 22nd and again during the late morning and early afternoon of December 23rd as heavy snowfall was occurring.
The Buckland AWOS (PABL) reported periodic blizzard conditions throughout the afternoon hours of December 22nd as heavy snowfall occurred. Winds were sustained at 30 mph with the visibility occasionally dropping to 1/4 mile.
The Noatak AWOS (PAWN) reported close to two days of near continuous snowfall. During this time frame blizzard to near blizzard conditions were reported with visibility dropping to 1/4 miles with heavy snow and blowing snow.
The Kotzebue ASOS (PAOT) reported periodic blizzard conditions throughout the afternoon hours of December 23rd as heavy snowfall occurred. Winds were sustained at 30 mph with the visibility occasionally dropping to 1/4 mile.
The official snowfall observation from the NWS Fairbanks office reported a 24 hour snow total of 7.6.
Multiple posts to a NWS Fairbanks Facebook request for snowfall totals on the afternoon of December 24th revealed 8 to 9 inches of new snowfall over the past 24 hours. Additional snowfall was reported by the Nenana AWOS (PANN) through the afternoon and early evening hours.
The Alaska DOT reported up to 8 of snow over Eagle Summit by late morning on December 24th. Troopers reported that the visibility was near zero at times with winds blowing an estimated 30 to mph at elevations above 2000 feet. As a result, the highway at Eagle Summit was closed until the evening hours when the wind speeds began to subside.
A trained spotter in Harding Lake reported a 24 hour total of 8 inches new snowfall from the morning of December 24th through the morning of December 25th. The eventual storm total at Harding Lake was 12 inches. Meanwhile public reports from social media indicated storm total snowfall of 12 to 14 inches at Salcha and 8 inches at Eielson Air Force Base.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, December 2025
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: 1307723, 1308351, 1308360, 1308489, 1308496, 1308393, 1308510, 1308539, 1308547, 1307727, 1308524.