Winter Storm — Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng, Alaska

2021-12-06 to 2021-12-08 · Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng, Alaska

Event narrative

Heavy snow and strong winds in the Alaska Range resulted in near blizzard conditions. The AKDOT Trims Maintenance Camp on the Richardson Highway reported 11 inches of storm total snowfall, poor visibility in snow and blowing snow, and heavy drifting across the highway. Winds started out as southerly and shifted to northerly in the later half of the event, which impacted different portions of the highway corridor through the Alaska Range.

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 1001023. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.