A low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska pushed a strong frontal boundary northward into central Alaska bringing widespread snowfall and blizzard conditions. Winds strengthened ahead of the front, producing gusty winds through Alaska Range Passes and Dalton Highway Summits.
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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 low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska pushed a strong frontal boundary northward into central Alaska bringing widespread snowfall and blizzard conditions. Winds strengthened ahead of the front, producing gusty winds through Alaska Range Passes and Dalton Highway Summits. Snowfall moved through the Interior from southeast to northwest, with the highest accumulations across the Alaska Range. Blizzard conditions developed in areas where falling snow and gusty winds were present. Effects from this storm were seen as far south as the Alaska Range, to as far north as the central/eastern Brooks Range.
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 9, 3:10 PM AKST, 8 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
310 PM AKST Fri Jan 9 2026
.SYNOPSIS...
An upper level trough draped across the interior strengthens into an
unseasonably strong storm system over the southwestern interior this
weekend. This storm system sends a warm front northwestward across
the eastern interior tonight with very cold temperatures established
across the interior ahead of the front. The frontal passage brought
widespread light snowfall amounts of 1 to 4 inches north of the AK
Range. This front stalls across the west-central interior on
Saturday bringing potential for locally heavy snowfall amounts, but
confidence remains low on total amounts and location of heavier
amounts. For Sunday, this front shifts over the eastern interior as
a cold front where it may stall again on Monday or Tuesday. In
addition to continued snow chances along the front, much colder
temperatures are expected west of the front where skies become
clear. Strong south winds through the AK Range passes and heavy snow
amounts for south-facing AK Range slopes are expected to result in
blizzard conditions for the Parks and Richardson Highways. Finally,
strong northerly winds west of the low pressure result in blowing
snow and ground blizzard conditions this weekend for the Seward Pen,
Bering Strait, and St. Lawrence Island.
&&
.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...
Central and Eastern Interior...
- Clear skies and wind chills as low as 45 below zero continue ahead
of an area of cloud cover associated with a front lifting northwest
across the area. Temperatures warm to the single digits above zero
by Saturday morning.
- Winds increase ahead of the front with south gusts up to 65 mph
for the AK Range Passes supporting blizzard conditions and east
winds gusting up to 50 mph for the Dalton Highway Summits and White
Mountains resulting in blowing snow.
- Snowfall spreads quickly northwest from near AlCan border right
now to Fairbanks around midnight. By Saturday afternoon widespread
amounts of 1-4 inches are expected with another 1-4 inches by Monday
morning. Total amounts range from 4-8 across the NW interior to 1-4
across the SE interior with 3-6 inches for the Fairbanks area.
- The heaviest snow is expected to fall across the AK Range with
accumulations between 6"-18" by Monday morning. A narrow band of
heavier snowfall may also impact the Parks Highway on Saturday.
- Colder and drier conditions return early next week, bringing
temperatures back down into the 30s/40s below zero west of the
frontal boundary. The coldest valleys approach 50 below zero.
West Coast and Western Interior...
- Cold temperatures in the 20s/30s below zero continue for cloud-
free portions of the West Coast, with the coldest valley locations
across the Western Interior dropping to around 40 below zero. Colder
winds chills are possible as winds increase through Saturday.
- Winds steadily increase across Western Alaska through Saturday
then gradually subside by Sunday night. The strongest winds gusting
up to 55 mph are expected across higher elevations of the Seward
Peninsula, the Bering Strait and St. Lawrence Island where blizzard
conditions are possible.
- Widespread snow shifts westward across the western interior late
tonight into Saturday then diminishes on Sunday. Total snow
accumulations up to 4 inches with the highest amounts farther east.
- Winds remain breezy along the West Coast into early next week, but
the potential for blowing snow diminishes by Sunday night. Colder
and drier conditions are favored to return, as temperatures in the
20s/30s to around 40 below zero return following a warmup over the
weekend.
North Slope and Brooks Range...
- Widespread temperatures in the 20s/30s to around 40 below zero
persist through next Thursday. Wind chills will be even colder.
- Winds continue to increase throughout the day in the Brooks Range
and across the NW Arctic Coast, remaining elevated through the
weekend especially further west.
- Snow showers return this weekend as moisture from the Gulf of
Alaska lifts north across the Interior. Total snow accumulations
through the weekend are expected to be around 2-4" in the eastern
and central Brooks Range and up to an inch for the eastern Arctic
Plains and Coast.
&&
.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...
Now through Monday morning.
A highly amplified pattern is taking shape between eastern Asia and
western North America and high-impact weather is expected with this
pattern. Of particular note is an unusually deep upper level trough
centered over western Alaska that consolidates into a vertically
stacked 495 dm upper level low by midday Saturday just west of
McGrath, AK. This system starts shearing apart and tracking
northeast while weakening on Sunday then over the Beaufort Sea on
Monday, but the high amplitude pattern seems to persist through next
week.
The most important lower level feature over the next few days is a
frontal boundary that focuses snowfall chances for most of the next
week. This boundary also separates the bitterly cold air mass we've
dealt with since early December on the west side from a warmer air
mass near seasonal normals on its east side. This frontal boundary
shifts northwest across the interior tonight as a warm front then
stalls across the west-central interior on Saturday before shifting
east on Sunday. Confidence in the details of this frontal motion
decrease with time, especially with respect to where the boundary
stalls on Saturday and how far east it moves early next week.
In terms of snowfall amounts, this appears to be an overrunning
snowfall event where there looks to be a double-DGZ increasing
chances for large snow-liquid ratios possibly >20:1. The latest
ensemble mean QPF amounts range from 0.3 (GEFS) to 0.4 (EPS) inches
in Fairbanks by Sunday night, which is slightly higher more than the
official forecast. However, the nature of this event implies
potential for a narrow band of heavy snowfall totals that could be
skewing the mean values higher than is realistic for most locations
while undershooting totals for locations that stay under the band
the longest.
Looking over the Alaska Range as the front progresses, a strong
southerly gradient will develop along with high confidence for heavy
snowfall in the mountain passes including the Parks and Richardson
highways. The combination of heavy snow up to 12 inches in Windy
Pass with south winds gusting up to 50 mph. Similarly for Isabel
Pass, south winds gusting up to 65 mph in addition to up to 18
inches of snow. Over the West Coast, on the west side of this low
pressure system, a strong northerly gradient increases over the next
24 hours which brings localized ground blizzard conditions along the
Bering Strait, St. Lawrence Island, and higher elevations of the
Seward Peninsula. The combination of winds and colder temperatures
may also result in wind chills as low as 55 below from the YK-delta
to the Middle Yukon Valley and Upper Kuskokwim.
&&
.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...
The same highly amplified, active weather pattern persists through
the extended period. Most of Northern Alaska is expected to stay dry
and cold early next week, but the same frontal boundary that brings
snow this weekend lingers over the southeast interior early next
week. At least two systems should be watched next week. The first
system is a moderately strong low pressure system approaching the
Yakutat area Tuesday night. This wave sends a wave up snow up the
frontal boundary through Wednesday, potentially extending westward
into the central interior. A potentially more impactful system
tracks further west toward the AK Peninsula by Thursday night as
ridging over western Canada becomes highly amplified. All major
model guidance has consistently shown this potential high-impact
pattern for several days now and the most aggressive model guidance
indicates potential for a period of rain late next week. This system
needs to be monitored closely.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Blizzard Warning for AKZ848>850.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ837.
Blizzard Warning for AKZ820-821-827.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ822-823.
Cold Weather Advisory for AKZ804-805-808>810.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ832-834.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ839-841-842-844-845.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ847.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ801>804-810-852.
Gale Warning for PKZ805-817.
Gale Warning for PKZ806-807-856.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ808-855.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ809-811-857.
Gale Warning for PKZ816-854.
Gale Warning for PKZ850-853.
Gale Warning for PKZ851.
&&
KuttaSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 820 PM AKST Fri Jan 9 2026 AKZ831-846-102000- Upper Koyukuk Valley-Central Interior- Including Allakaket, Bettles, Evansville, Alatna, Tanana, Minto, Manley Hot Springs, Rampart, and Lake Minchumina 820 PM AKST Fri Jan 9 2026 ...Another Round of Snow Friday Night into the Weekend... An organized band of snow will move northwest through the area beginning early Saturday morning from Manley Hot Springs to Tanana, reaching Bettles later Saturday morning. While the snow will be short lived, snow may be heavy at times with periods of low visibility. Total accumulations will be 2 to 5 inches with locally higher amounts in the Minto Flats. The snow should move north of Tanana by Sunday morning and north of Bettles Sunday evening. AKZ833-835-836-838-840-843-102000- Yukon Flats-Fortymile Country-Upper Tanana Valley- Upper Chena River Valley-Eielson AFB and Salcha-Two Rivers- Including Fort Yukon, Venetie, Circle, Central, Stevens Village, Beaver, the Steese Highway north of MP 124, Eagle, Chicken, the Taylor Highway north of MP 9, Tok, Tanacross, Tetlin, Northway, Alcan, the Alaska Highway east of MP 1392, the Taylor Highway south of MP 9, the Tok Cutoff north of MP 105, Chena Hot Springs, Chena Hot Springs Road east of MP 34, Eielson AFB, Salcha, Moose Creek, Harding Lake, the Richardson Highway from MP 317 to MP 346, Two Rivers, and Chena Hot Springs Road from MP 12 to MP 34 820 PM AKST Fri Jan 9 2026 ...Light Snow Friday Night and Saturday... An organized band of snow will move northwest through the area beginning late Friday evening in the Upper Tanana Valley, reaching Fort Yukon early Saturday morning. While the snow will be short lived, snow may be heavy at times with periods of low visibility. Total accumulations will be 2 to 5 inches. JC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow, 2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
An Alaska DOT report at 07:23L on 1/11/26 reported 12 inches of new snowfall in Manley Hot Springs between 1/10/26 to 11/11/26. Additionally, the report noted drifting snow between MP 20-25 and 28-33, making travel difficult and vehicular traffic impassable.
The Brevig Mission AWOS (PFKT) first met blizzard criteria at 12:56L on 1/10/26 reporting 1/4 mile visibility and winds gusting to 47 mph. The AWOS site continued to report reduced visibilities between 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile, and 40+ mph winds for over 36 hours as of 12:19L on 1/11/26.
The Bonanza Creek SNOTEL (BONA2) reported at 01:00L 7 inches of snow in 24 hours on 1/11/26.
The Nenana SNOTEL (NESA2) reported at 04:00L 7 inches of snow in 24 hours on 1/11/26.
An Alaska DOT report at 07:17L on 1/11/26 estimated 8 inches of new snowfall in 24 hours. There were additional DOT reports that estimated 12 inches of new snowfall in Healy on 1/11/26.
An Alaska DOT report at 07:21L on 1/11/26 reported 24 hour snowfall accumulations between 6 to 10 inches on Eureka Road in Rampart. Another DOT report around 08:00L reported 16 inches of snow in Eagle Summit but was not fully verified due to blowing/drifting snow conditions.
A Vitus (Energy Company) employee reported whiteout conditions with drifting and blowing snow at 07:58L on 1/11/26. They also estimated approximately 8 inches of snow had fallen, but couldn't verify because of the on-going blowing snow conditions. A DOT report at 07:53L on 1/11/26 later estimated as much as 12 inches of snow had fallen in and around Cantwell, with heavy blowing/drifting snow and gusty winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2026
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: 1313799, 1313712, 1313776, 1313783, 1313813, 1313762, 1313701.