Blizzard in Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Strong offshore winds combined with plenty of transportable snow lead to a long duration ground blizzard event across much of the Kuskokwim Delta from 1/22 to 1/23. The worst conditions were observed at the Kipnuk AWOS, where 1/4 mile or less visibility with blowing snow and sustained winds between 40 and 50 mph recorded for much of the day starting at 2 AM, lasting until at least 8:30 AM 1/23 before the sensor stopped reporting data. Significant blowing snow with visibility reductions to 1/2 mile at times was also recorded across much of the rest of the Kuskokwim Delta during this time frame, including in and around Bethel.

A strong front lifted north across the Aleutians and into the Bering Sea between 1/21 and 1/23, producing numerous impacts ranging from strong winds up to 86 mph across the eastern Aleutians to snow and blowing snow farther north across the Pribilof Islands and Kuskokwim Delta. This front was able to interact favorably with Arctic air entrenched farther north across much of western Alaska and the northern Bering, facilitating a tight temperature and pressure gradient that helped to drive the strong winds and snow/blowing snow observed with this system as it progressed north.