Blizzard — Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast, Alaska

2026-01-26 · Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast, Alaska

Event narrative

The Point Thomson ASOS (PAAD) began reporting visibilities of 1/4 mile around midnight due to heavy snow and increasing winds. Winds consistently gusted to between 35 and 40 mph between the early morning hours of January 26th through the middle part of the afternoon resulting in a prolonged period of blizzard conditions.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper-level low over the Eastern Arctic tracked southwest toward the Bering Strait during the last week of January. This system pushed a cold front across the region, producing very strong winds along and immediately behind the boundary. These winds triggered initial blizzard conditions along the Northwest Arctic coast, which then spread westward toward the western Seward Peninsula.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1312759. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.