Blizzard — Chukchi Sea Coast, Alaska

2021-12-04 to 2021-12-06 · Chukchi Sea Coast, Alaska

Event narrative

Blizzard conditions and high winds occurred across the northern Seward Peninsula and the coast from Cape Krusenstern northward. This was the second strong weather system to impact the region the first week of December. The weather station in the village of Kivalina reported a visibility near zero along with very strong winds. Wind gusts from the southeast to 75 mph were observed at Kivalina in the early evening of December 5th but the wind sensor had not been reporting for much of the day so it is possible peak winds were higher. Point Hope reported visibility to one half a mile at times and southeast wind gusts which peaked at 64 mph on the December 5th.

Wider weather episode

A very strong low pressure system moved north through the Bering Sea and across the Chukotsk Peninsula and Bering Strait December 4th through the 6th. The central pressure of the low dropped to 949 millibars as it moved across the eastern Chukotsk Peninsula the afternoon of December 5th and then weakened as it continued to track north into the Chukchi Sea. A strong weather front associated with this system swept across the West Coast, Interior, and the North Slope of Alaska. This resulted in heavy snow, strong winds, blizzard conditions, and minor coastal flooding at some locations along the Bering Sea coast.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1000792. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.