Cold/Wind Chill in Southern Copper Valley, Alaska

Cold/Wind Chill January 2, 2026 – January 4, 2026 · Southern Copper Valley, Alaska

What the National Weather Service wrote

A weather sensor on the Chitina Airport recorded very cold wind chills below -55F between January 2 and January 5. Ambient temperatures of -35F to -40F combined with northerly winds of 10 to 20 mph to produce wind chills of -60F to -70F during the aforementioned period. Observations were unavailable from 4:30 AM to 10:50 AM AKST January 4, however.

The wider storm

A very cold Arctic airmass over the Yukon/Northwest Territories of Canada developed under clear skies in the first days of January. The cold, dense air filtered into the Copper River Basin, leading to two main periods of extremely cold wind chills below -55F in the central Copper Valley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1312087. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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