Blizzard in Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast, Alaska

Blizzard conditions occurred at Point Thompson where the AWOS (PAAD) began reporting heavy snow with southwest winds gusting over 40 mph and the visibility at 1/4 mile during the early afternoon hours of December 16th. These conditions persisted for close to 30 hours before the winds began to subside. In total, white out conditions were reported for 7 hours straight and the visibility remained at or below 1/4 mile for 36 hours.

A deep low pressure system tacking through the Kuskokwim Delta combined with a nearly stational arctic high located in the Eastern Beaufort to produce a wide swath of strong northeasterly winds across much of the North Slope. Near the coast where the winds were strongest, ground blizzards occurred as visibilities dropped rapidly.