Blizzard in Yukon Delta, Alaska

Blizzard conditions and high winds occurred across the Yukon Delta. This was the second strong weather system to impact the region the first week of December. The weather station in the villages of Scammon Bay and Mountain Village reported a visibility near zero along with very strong winds, while other communities in the region reported near blizzard conditions with visibility one half mile or less at times. Wind gusts peaked during the overnight hours of December 4th from the southeast to 75 mph at Cape Romanzof, 68 mph at Scammon Bay, and 63 mph at Mountain Village.

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.