Blizzard — White Mountains and High Terrain South of the Yukon River, Alaska

2026-01-16 to 2026-01-17 · White Mountains and High Terrain South of the Yukon River, Alaska

Event narrative

The AKDOT reported hazardous road conditions at Eagle summit from miles markers 101 to 114. Blowing and drifting snow was reported with poor visibility of below 1/4 mile at times. Southwest winds were reported to be sustained at 40 mph for several hours.

Wider weather episode

Following a period of dry, Arctic conditions across Central Alaska, a potent weather shift occurred on Thursday, January 15. A strong low-pressure system entering the North Pacific coupled with high pressure over Western Canada to funnel a stream of warm, moist air into the region. As the associated warm front tracked north over the Alaska Range, it produced heavy snowfall and high winds, resulting in widespread blizzard conditions. Simultaneously, strong winds to the west triggered blizzards along the West Coast. In the wake of the front, colder air returned alongside a series of upper-level disturbances. By Friday and Saturday (January 16'17), these systems produced additional heavy snowfall across the Interior.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1312194. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.