Winter Storm — S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range, Alaska

2021-12-04 to 2021-12-07 · S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range, Alaska

Event narrative

Very heavy snow fell along the Brooks Range with the highest amounts from the Dalton Highway westward. The COOP observer in Wiseman reported an incredible storm total of 41.6 inches between 4 PM Sunday December 5th and 4 AM Tuesday December 7th. Another resident in Wiseman observed approximately 37 inches that fell between Sunday evening December 5th and Noon Monday December 6th. Amounts were lighter just to the south with the Coldfoot SNOTEL reporting a storm total of 19 inches for the event.

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 1000998. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.