Jan. 1989 Cold Snap
For about two weeks, extreme cold gripped most of Alaska. The cold snap
was caused by a reduction of warm air advection resulting from a southwardshifted jet stream. This prevented low-pressure systems to move in and warm the
Interior, thus high pressures built and temperatures plummeted.1 The worst of the
cold snap, occurring during the end of January, was exacerbated by cold-air
advection near the surface from Siberia.2
A variety of consequences strained Alaskans because of the cold snap.
The troubles included: fuel shortages, congealed heating fuel, cars not being
able to start, scattered telephone outages, frozen water and sewage lines, and
non-delivery of supplies to villages. Governor Cowper signed a declaration of
emergency to have more funds readily available for the emergencies.3
Many single-day and multi-day records were set during these two weeks.
On January 31 in Northway, the pressure rose to 31.85inHg, which became the
highest North American pressure ever recorded, until the record was broken two
days later in Dawson City, Yukon.4 The coldest temperature during this time was
-76F in Tanana, followed by -75F in McGrath5, but temperatures of -50F to -60F
were common, with wind chills in the -100Fs.
The high finally began moving eastward on February 1, plaguing Canada
and the lower 48.6 Contrastingly, Alaska had an anomalously warm February
because of warm advection due to strong meridional flow.1 On February 5, a
Fairbanks sounding recorded the station’s largest ever surface-to-925mb
temperature inversion of nearly 60F as temperatures began to rise.7
Citation
Corres- Details
ponding
Date(s)
Jan. 15
 High pressure and clear skies
prevailed over mainland
Alaska from Barrow to Homer.
Alaska
Summary.
Anchorage Daily
News (AK)January 16,
1989. Section:
Alaska Weather.
Page(s): A2.
B-b-bundle up; c- Jan. 16

A massive pool of Arctic air
File(s)
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1
Now playing across Alaska: The Omega Block. Anchorage Daily News (AK)- January 28, 1989. Author(s): Craig Medred, Daily News outdoor editor. Page(s): 1, A8.
2
Tanaka, H.L., and M.F., Milkovich, 1990: A Heat Budget Analysis of the Polar Troposphere in and around Alaska during the Abnormal Winter of 1988/89. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 16281639.
3
No end in sight for icebox weather. Ketchikan Daily News (AK)- January 30, 1989. Section: Local – Alaska. Page(s): A3.
4
Burt, C. C., 2011: World and U.S. Anti-cyclonic (High Barometric) Pressure Records http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/world-and-us-anticyclonic-high-barometric-pressurerecords
5
Alaska Science Forum: Recipe for a cold snap. Author: Ned Rozell. Date: Nov. 17, 2011. http://www.gi.alaska.edu/node/937
6
High pressure weakens, heads for Panhandle. The Anchorage Times (AK)- February 2, 1989. Author: The Associated Press. Page(s): A-2.
7
Fairbanks sounding on Feb 05, 1989 12Z
c-cold here
awhile. Daily
News-Miner
(AK)- January
16, 1989.
Page(s): 3.
Snow blankets
Juneau, Sitka;
rain hits south.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 17,
1989. Author(s):
Associated
Press. Section:
Weather.
Page(s): A-2.
Cold still grips
mainland; Yukon
plummets to -50.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 18,
1989. Author(s):
Associated
Press. Section:
Weather.
Page(s): A-2.
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 19,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 16
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Jan. 17
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Jan. 17
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extended across all of northern
Siberia and two-thirds of the
state of Alaska, all the way into
northwest Canada. There isn’t
anything to move it: the storm
track is well south of the state.
Snow and rain from Juneau to Scan0023
Sitka with temperatures in the
mid 40s, while the rest of the
state was sunny because of
high pressure.
-56F at Fort Yukon and -2F in
Anchorage.
A massive high-pressure
system over the northern and
central portions of the
mainland caused clear and
cold weather.
-40F over the south central
Interior and southwest Alaska.
Scan0027
Cold weather over all of Alaska Scan0014
on 1/17.
Temperature around
-60F in the southern slope of
the Brooks Range during the
night of 1/17.
Chandalar Lake reported -62F.
Temperatures in the -50Fs
reported in areas north and
west of the Alaska Range.
-19F overnight low on 1/17 at
the Anchorage AP, this was
the coldest temperature there
in seven years.
Meanwhile, the Aleutians, the
Peninsula, the Northeast Gulf
Coast, and the Southeast had
daytime temperatures in the
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 20,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 19
You’re even
more helpless
without power at
40 below. Daily
News-Miner
(AK)- January
20, 1989.
Author(s): Susan
Fisher, Staff
Writer. Page(s):
1.
Mainland Alaska
stays locked in
deep freeze. The
Anchorage
Times (AK)January 20,
1989. Author(s):
Times Staff and
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-1.
Failure stalls
power near
Fireweed. The
Anchorage
Times (AK)January 20,
Jan. 19
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Jan. 19,
20
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Jan. 20

20s and 30s with snow.
-64F at Chandalar Lake.
1/19 was the sixth day in a row
that the temperature has
remained below -50F for
Chandalar.
On 1/19, readings of -50F
covered the Interior between
the Brooks and the Alaska
Ranges.
Temperatures in the -30Fs
along the west coast, and 20Fs and -30Fs over the
South-Central. Clear skies
except for some fog and ice
fog. However, the Southeast
was mild with temperatures in
the 20Fs to 40Fs.
1,082 GVEA customers were
without power in the North
Pole area during the night of
1/19. 98% of customers got
power back by 4am on 1/20.
The reason for the breakage is
unclear.
Overnight low on 1/19 of -17F
in Anchorage, and Palmer
reported -27F the morning of
1/20, according to the NWS.
1/19 was the coldest
Anchorage has been in 14
years with -24F.
All of mainland Alaska
experienced below-normal
temperatures, according to the
NWS.
4,000 residents in western
Anchorage lost power the
morning of 1/20. It was
restored an hour and 20
minutes after it went out.
Businesses and traffic signals
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Scan0101
Scan0030
Scan0030
1989. Author(s):
Times Staff and
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-1.
All but Southeast
gripped by cold.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 20,
1989. Section:
Weather.
Author(s):
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-2.
in the areas of Fireweed and
Arctic also went out.
Jan. 20


Bitter cold to
Jan. 20
linger longer.
Daily NewsMiner (AK)January 20,
1989. Author(s):
News-Miner Staff
Report. Page(s):
1, 8.
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Frigid conditions
ground air taxis.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 21,
1989. Author(s):
Dean Fosdick,
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 20
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
Jan. 20

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
High pressure continued to
grip much of Alaska.
Cold air reached the Gulf and
the Prince William Sound.
Cordova had temperatures in
the negative teens, while the
Panhandle was in the 30Fs to
40s, and in the teens to 20Fs
from Kodiak to the Peninsula.
A low-pressure system near
the Panhandle brought
precipitation to the Southeast.
Visibility dropped to one-eighth
to one-quarter of a mile in
Fairbanks.
Taxi companies had delays
anywhere from 90 minutes to 4
hours picking people up.
With ice fog, carbon monoxide
levels are low because the
temperature in the fog is
evenly distributed, and so are
the CO2 molecules.
A weather balloon sent up at
3am on 1/20 reported the cold
layer was 2,000ft deep.
Air taxi operators shut down
planes when temperatures
drop below -30F because it
puts stress on them, and there
have been temperatures in the
-40Fs. Non-operating is a
problem because villages rely
on shipments of food, mail,
and medicine.
Kotzebue hasn’t been above
-15F since 1/15, according to
an FAA spokesman.
-68F reported at Coldfoot,
which is on the Dalton
Highway near the southern
Scan0031
Scan0101,
Scan0104
Scan0016
Scan0017
News (AK)January 21,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Some paper
Jan. 20
routes ‘frozen
out’. Daily NewsMiner (AK)January 21,
1989. Page(s): 1.
Cold paralyzes
Alaska mainland;
Southeast mild.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 22,
1989. Section:
Weather.
Author(s):
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-2.
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 23,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 24,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Jan. 21
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Jan. 22
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Jan. 23
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slope of the Brooks Range.
Lows in the -40Fs common
between the Brooks and the
Alaska Ranges on 1/20.
About 500 residents on eight
routes were without paper the
night of 1/20. This is because
when the temperature drops
below -50F, carriers are given
the option of holding up
deliveries until the temperature
increases.
For nearly a week,
temperatures in the Interior
have been down in the -40Fs,
and since then, the only
movement has been
downward.
On 1/21, -67F reported at
Circle.
Scan0105
On 1/22, -70F unofficial
temperature in Eureka, 80
miles west of Fairbanks.
-60F below for most of the
morning on 1/22.
Anchorage was -25F on the
morning of 1/22.
Scan0019
-60F for the Interior and -70F
wind chills along the arctic
slopes on 1/23.
A storm over the Gulf raised
some temperatures in the
area. It warmed to 30F along
the rim of the Gulf.
Scan0020
Scan0036
Page(s): A3.
Alaska briefs.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 24,
1989. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 23


Could it get
Jan. 24
colder? Yes.
Daily NewsMiner (AK)January 24,
1989. Page(s): 1,
5.

Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 25,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.

Jan. 24
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Brief ‘warm’ spell Jan. 25
foils record bid.
Daily NewsMiner (AK)January 25,
1989. Page(s): 1.
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Fairbanks had five consecutive
days where the warmest
temperature was lower than
-40F, which is the city’s
longest cold snap.
Temperatures on 1/24 could
have been warmer because of
a storm from the Gulf moving
into the Interior.
1/24 was the sixth consecutive
day in Fairbanks that the
maximum high temperature
was -40F or less. Record is
nine days, beginning
12/21/1967.
Flat tires, snapped fan belts,
and dense ice fog have kept
police busy rescuing stranded
motorists since last week. The
police received an average of
10 calls a day.
Dangerous wind chills and
frigid temperatures continued
1/24 as arctic air was still over
most of the state.
Ice fog and cold temperatures
in the Interior as high pressure
remained over the Brooks
Range.
A low-pressure system and its
front moved eastward along
the southern coast, depositing
snow on the eastern Aleutians,
the Peninsula, and Kodiak
Island. Only these locations
were above 0F.
Dangerous wind chills between
the high- and low-pressure
systems, as wind was created.
Fairbanks lost its chance to
beat the record of nine straight
days below -40F, because on
1/25 it “warmed up” to -34F.
The slight warm-up was from a
storm in the Gulf that pushed
Scan0021
Scan0117
Scan0022
Scan0118
Anchorage
Jan. 24
squad cars balk.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 25,
1989. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Panhandle mild; Jan. 25
cold still batters
most state areas.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 26,
1989. Author(s):
Associate Press.
Section:
Weather.
Page(s): A-2.

Bush folk
struggle to cope
with cold. The
Anchorage
Times (AK)January 26,
1989. Author(s):
Joe Hunt, Times
Writer. Page(s):
A-1, A-5.

Jan. 21,
23, 25
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Record
shattering cold.
The Nome
Nugget (AK)January 26,
1989. Author(s):
Sandra
Medearls.
Jan.
1823

moisture and warmer air to the
Interior.
Anchorage has had 9
consecutive days of sub-zero
weather.
21 police cars would not start
because some of the engine
heaters didn’t work and
because there weren’t enough
electrical outlets.
The Panhandle continued to
be mild and wet while the rest
of the state was in bitter cold.
Low temperatures in the -60Fs
over the southern slopes of the
Brooks Range and through
much of the Kobuk, Koyukuk
and Yukon valleys.
Ambler had state’s coldest
reading of the day with -68F.
Prudhoe Bay reported -94F
with wind chill during the
morning of 1/25.
The village of Buckland, 75
miles southeast of Kotzebue,
lost electricity as temperatures
were below -50F. The
residents stayed in the local
school, with a gas-powered
generator keeping the lights
on.
Selawik, 75 miles east of
Kotzebue, had been without
phone service since 1/23.
On 1/25, 90,000 pounds of
mail and dozens of stranded
people were flown out to the
bush villages.
A biologist with the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game
predicted that with the extreme
cold, more deeply frozen rivers
would affect fish that spawn in
fresh water. This would
endanger pink and chum
salmon because the cold puts
Scan0023
Scan0044
Scan0043,
Scan0045
Scan0039,
Scan0040
Page(s): 1, 3.
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Arctic weather
takes it toll here.
Homer News
(AK)- January
26, 1989.
Author(s): Hal
Spence, Staff
Writer. Page(s):
2.
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High winds
wreak havoc.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 27,
1989. Author(s):
Belinda Chase,
Daily News Staff
Writer. Page(s):
1.
Jan. 26
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 27,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Jan. 26
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ice down deeper than in the
past, causing salmon eggs to
freeze in the gravel.
Some record minimum
temperatures for Nome: 1/18
with -35F, 1/19 with -38F, 1/20
with -40F, 1/21 with -44F, 1/22
with -44F, and 1/23 with -45F.
A week of bitter cold has left
Homer roads covered in
glacier ice, delayed school
buses, caused scattered
power outages and left harbor
personnel working long hours
to keep small boats afloat in
Homer Harbor.
The cold snap began 1/15. It
caused temperatures as low
as
-10F on 1/18, the last time it
was that cold there was in
1972 according to the NWS in
Anchorage.
During a four-day stretch
between 1/19 and 1/22, the
temperature never got above
8F in Homer.
Fallen trees, power outages,
and blown-off truck canopies
were the result of high winds
from the night of 1/25 until the
morning of 1/26.
Ketchikan Int’l AP measured
81mph gusts between
midnight 1/25 and 1am 1/26.
NWS Annette Island reported
56mph winds just after
midnight on 1/25.
-74F at Ambler, which is the
coldest temperature so far
during this two-week cold
spell.
-65F in McGrath on 1/26 with
ice fog.
-100F wind chills at Kotzebue
on 1/26.
Scan0007
Scan0024
Scan0025
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.

Frigid Winter
Weather Covers
Most of State.
Anchorage Daily
News (AK)January 27,
1989. Author(s):
David Hulen,
Daily News
Reporter.
Page(s): 1, A8.
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Wind chills hit 115 degrees in
coastal areas.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 27,
1989. Author(s):
Associate Press.
Section:
Weather.
Page(s): A-2.
Cold to continue;
records
shattering. The
Anchorage
Times (AK)January 27,
1989. Author(s):
Associate Press.
Page(s): A-1.
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 28,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Jan. 27
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
Mild weather for Southeast
Alaska, the Gulf, and the
western Aleutians.
The start of the Kuskokwim
Scan0050,
300 Sled Dog Race from
Scan0052
Bethel to Aniak and back had
been delayed, as well as the
military’s Brim Frost coldweather war game.
In Kotzebue, nearly 100
basketball players who came
from surrounding villages for a
tournament two weeks ago
have been stranded because
it’s too cold for air taxis to
operate.
The NWS issued a special
warning statement on 1/26 of a
“real old-time cold wave.”
High from Siberia moved cold
Scan0048
air into the state.
Wind chills of 60 and 100
below common for much of the
western half of the state.
Deadhorse reported wind chill
of -115F.
Panhandle and the
northeastern Gulf remained
above 0F.
Jan. 27

Cold temperatures from a high
over northeastern Siberia. The
system was moving across the
Bering Strait to Alaska and
was expected to be located off
the Yukon Delta by the night of
1/27.
Scan0049
Jan. 27

Eight all-time lows were set in
Alaska on 1/27.
Temperature on mainland
Alaska ranged from -2F at
Seward to -76F at Tanana.
Wind-chills as low as -110F in
some parts of the state,
Scan0029


Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Think a flat tire at Jan. 27
76 below zero is
tough luck? Try
3. Anchorage
Daily News (AK)January 28,
1989. Author(s):
John Tetpon,
Daily News
reporter.
Page(s): 1, A8.
Cold wave nears
crisis. The
Anchorage
Times (AK)January 28,
1989. Author(s):
Daniel R.
Saddler, Times
Writer. Page(s):
A-1, A-10.
according to the NWS.

On 1/27, all 140 students in
Galena stayed home because
the school was closed while
workmen try to thaw the sewer
lines. The oil in the fuel lines
also started to congeal. Water
and sewer lines in other city
buildings also froze.
Scan0057

Gov. Cowper said on 1/27 that
the cold wave has reached
near-emergency status,
causing food and food
shortages to some rural
villages and threatening city
services in Anchorage and
Fairbanks. The National Guard
was alerted about the potential
emergency and was prepared
to deliver food, fuel, and parts
by airplane, snow machine, or
parachute.
Some guardsmen have been
unable to report their primary
duty stations on the military
Brim Frost ’89 war games and
were working to help civilians
near their homes. Some are
cutting wood for elderly people
and others are working to
establish radio contact for
those areas cutoff from
phones.
Villagers in Aniak were
gathering at the local school,
trying to keep warm, with
temperatures as low as -80F
and fuel supplies almost gone.
Residents of Kodiak are
borrowing fuel from local
schools to heat their homes.
Scan0050,
Scan0052
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No end in sight
for icebox
weather.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 30,
1989. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
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A barge full of supplies from
Kodiak has not been able to
supply to Port Lions.
The Air Guard was flying
generator parts from Kotzebue
to the village of Chicago
Creek. Buckland also needed
generator parts.
Takotna was out of propane
and low on fuel.
Cold was caused by highScan0030
pressure area extending
across the Interior. There is a
new high-pressure system
moving down across the
northern Siberian coast.
Plumbers were in high
demand. Curtis Plumbing and
Heating in Eagle River had
been getting nearly 250 calls a
day since the cold snap
started.
Gov. Steve Cowper signed a
Declaration of Emergency so
that state assistant funds will
be more readily available if
requested.
The American Red Cross
opened an emergency shelter
at Port Graham on the Kenai
Peninsula in Anchorage. About
a dozen people stayed there,
mostly because of broken
pipes at their own dwellings.
Communications with more
than 30 communities were
cutoff because their dieselpowered electricity generators
were out of fuel or not working.
Other effects include:
dwindling fuel supplies,
congealed heating fuel,
scattered telephone outages,
frozen water and sewage lines,
and non-delivery of checks
and federal food stamps
Now playing
across Alaska:
The Omega
Block.
Anchorage Daily
News (AK)January 28,
1989. Author(s):
Craig Medred,
Daily News
outdoor editor.
Page(s): 1, A8.
Biting cold keeps
cars off roads.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 29,
1989. Author(s):
Dirk Miller, Times
Writer. Page(s):
A-1, A-10.
7 die in C-130
crash near
Fairbanks.
Anchorage Daily
News (AK)January 30,
1989. Author(s):
Don Hunter and
Sheila Toomey,
Daily News
reporters.
Page(s): 1, A8.
10-car Steese
pileup send six to
hospital. Daily
News-Miner
(AK)- January
30, 1989.
Page(s): 3.
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 30,
1989. Author(s):


Jan. 28


The jet stream has been
carrying warm, low-pressure
air far to the south, and the
high-pressure air over the
Alaska mainland has been
building and getting colder day
by day.
Because of the lack of clouds,
the air above the ground has
just been getting colder and
colder, reinforcing the high.
Scan0053,
Scan0055
-24F at Anchorage and -49F at
Fairbanks on 1/28.
Meteorologists say the
extreme cold is because of a
mass of cold air they call an
Omega Block. The storms
necessary to carry warm air to
Alaska have been absent.
Scan0055
Jan. 29

Seven were killed and 11
injured when a Canadian C130 transport plane
participating in Operation Brim
Frost crashed in ice fog at Fort
Wainwright.
Scan0061,
Scan0063
Jan. 29

Dense ice fog at the Steese
Expressway bridge over the
Chena River on 1/29 sent 10
people to the hospital in
Fairbanks with minor injuries.
Scan0138
Jan. 29

40mph winds on 1/29 in the
Scan0031
Cantwell area, with chill factors
around -85F with -30F
temperatures.
Blowing snow and gusts to
70mph in Valdez on 1/29.

The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Weather. Daily
News-Miner
(AK)- January
30, 1989.
Page(s): 10.
Southcentral
shivers as winds
gust to 100 mph.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 30,
1989. Author(s):
Associate Press.
Section:
Weather.
Page(s): A-2.
Extended freeze
will perpetuate.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 30,
1989. Author(s):
Times Staff and
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-1, A-8.
Jan. 30
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Jan. 30
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Jan. 30
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Alaskans Face
More RecordSetting Cold. The
Daily Sentinel
(AK)- January
30, 1989.
Author(s): Paul
Jenkins,
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

A cold dome of air over
Fairbanks had thinned some.
On 1/29, it was 2,000ft thick. It
was still cold near the surface
but there was some warming
aloft in the last 12 to 24 hours.
On 1/30, the mainland was
mostly clear with temperatures
ranging from -20F to -60F.
The Panhandle could not
escape the cold this time: as
far south as Juneau,
temperatures were
approaching 0F.
Eastern arctic slope
experiencing wind chills in the
-80Fs to -90Fs.
The Alaska Division of
Emergency Services reported
problems from congealing fuel
oil to fuel and food shortages,
power outages, water and
sewer freeze-ups.
Bear Valley Elementary in
Anchorage had flooding
because of exploding sprinkler
heads.
On 1/30 for the MatanuskaSusitna Borough, all of the
schools were closed.
On 1/29 in McGrath, it was
-64F, which was the coldest
temperature in Alaska that
day.
During the weekend, 17 alltime record lows fell across the
state.
On 1/29, it was -30F in
Anchorage, which was the
coldest day for them since
1975.
Wind chills down to -125F
Scan0139
Scan0058
Scan0059
Scan0030
Associated Press
Writer. Page(s):
1.
Weather lumbers Jan. 30
to south.
Anchorage Daily
News (AK)January 31,
1989. Author(s):
Richard Mauer,
Daily News
reporter.
Page(s): 1, A-8.
along the Parks Highway.




Frigid grip on
Alaska tightens.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)January 31,
1989. Author(s):
Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-1, A-6.
Weather costly to
state. Ketchikan
Daily News (AK)January 31,
1989. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 31,
30




On 1/30 the record-setting high
pressure began moving toward
Canada and the lower 48.
Temperatures of -50F to -60F
were still common in the
Interior.
Ice fog still plagued Fairbanks
and Gov. Cowper told state
workers with non-essential
jobs in Fairbanks to stay home
until hazardous conditions
improved.
After a delay of five days, dog
mushers finally began
competing in the Kuskokwim
300.
It had been warmer than -40F
once in the past three weeks in
Fairbanks. The cold there
closed the schools and the
court system. Nighttime lows
have dropped to -50F to -65F.
Schools in Fairbanks were
closed on 1/30 and 1/31.
The jet stream had been
temporarily blocking a lowpressure frontal system from
dropping southward. Winds
flowing around the lowpressure area have, in turn,
trapped cold, frigid air
revolving around a highpressure area in a tight circle
over Alaska.
On 1/30, the state revenue
commissioner said the state
would lose $3.08M a day in oil
taxes and royalties because of
weather-related reduction in
flow through the trans-Alaska
oil pipeline. On 1/30 the
pipeline flow was reduced by
65% because of temporary
Scan0064,
Scan0066,
Scan0067
Scan0063
Scan0032
Weather –
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)January 31,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Jan. 30



Snettisham
Jan. 30
power line
reconnected.
Juneau Empire
(AK)- February 1,
1989. Author(s):
Annabel Lund,
Juneau Empire.
Page(s): 1, 10.

Cold headed for
Canada.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)February 1,
1989. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.

Jan. 31



closure of Valdez Harbor to
tanker traffic. Eight to ten days
of closure could damage
annual revenue estimates.
Tremendous high-pressure
system moved from Bering
Sea into the northern Interior
on 1/30.
By late afternoon on 1/30, the
pressure was 31.43inHg,
almost beating the U.S. 1980
record of 31.44.
High pressure in the Interior
caused blowing snow in
coastal channels and passes
along the Panhandle and the
northern Gulf Coast.
Temperatures in the
Panhandle decreased to the
teens, when just two days ago
they were in the 40s.
On 1/30 in Juneau, one of
AEL&P’s crucial diesel-fired
17.5-megawatt gas turbine
generators—almost half of the
municipality’s backup electrical
power base—failed. Major
citywide power-saving efforts
ensued.
The lowest temperature for the
cold snap in Juneau was -5F
on 2/1. The highest sustained
winds were 55mph on 1/30,
with gusts up to 63mph. The
lowest wind chill was -55F on
1/31.
The high-pressure system was
inching eastward at 100 miles
a day, according to the NWS in
Anchorage.
Gusts of 93mph in Valdez
contributed to the pipeline
reduction. The pipeline was
expected to be back to normal
the night of 1/31.
On 1/30 at Big Delta, NWS
Scan0033
Scan0083,
Scan0084
Scan0035

Weather –
Jan. 31
Summary.
Ketchikan Daily
News (AK)February 1,
1989. Author:
The Associated
Press. Section:
Local – Alaska.
Page(s): A3.
Alaska Bit
Warmer as Cold
Goes South. The
Daily Sentinel
(AK)- February 1,
1989. Author(s):
Paul Jenkins,
Associated Press
Writer. Page(s):
1.

Fire fighters face Jan. 29
challenge in
freezing weather.
Homer News
(AK)- February 2,
1989. Author(s):
Jan O’Meara,
Staff Writer.
Page(s): 3.





reported 31.54inHG, which
was the new high-pressure
record for North America,
beating Mayo in the Yukon in
1974 with 31.53inHg.
An avalanche in Juneau last
week downed the line
connecting the city to its
hydroelectric dam. They were
left with one backup dieselfired turbine for electricity.
The high-pressure system on
1/31 that moved to the AlaskaCanada border is among the
world’s top three charted,
according to the NWS.
On 1/31, it was -64F in Circle,
and Panhandle temperatures
ranged from 10 to -10F.
60mph winds in the Panhandle
at Cape Spencer.
Pacific storms, which normally
carry warmer temperatures
and precipitation from Japan to
Alaska, have been stymied by
a high-altitude, high-pressure
ridge over the eastern Bering
Sea. This is known as the
Omega Block. Instead of
reaching Alaska, the storms
were hitting the outermost
Aleutian Islands, then
careening into Siberia, where
temperatures have been in the
20s and 30s.
Firefighters have a very
difficult time putting out fires in
severely cold temperatures
because everything freezes—
hydrants, hoses, air lines, and
clothes.
A fire on 1/29 in Homer had all
of these problems and
whenever the firefighters’ gear
got wet, it froze them in place.
Six firefighters had to be
Scan0034
Scan0032
Scan0012
It was so c-ccold! The Nome
Nugget (AK)February 2,
1989. Author(s):
Sandra
Medearls.
Page(s): 1, 4.
High pressure
weakens, heads
for Panhandle.
The Anchorage
Times (AK)February 2,
1989. Author(s):
The Associated
Press. Page(s):
A-2.
Jan. 31


Feb. 2




carried into vehicles after they
were literally frozen in place.
The pressure on 1/31 in Nome
was 31.31inHg.
The temperature in Nome
finally slipped up over 0F on
1/31 for the first time since
1/10.
The high pressure reached
maximum intensity on 1/31. It
stalled over the AlaskaCanada border on 2/1 and
slightly weakened.
The clear and cold conditions
diminished a bit along the west
coast.
The Bering Sea coastal area
from King Salmon to Nome
saw temperatures rise 10 to 20
degrees as clouds moved in.
Temperatures on 2/1 ranged
from nearly record cold along
the state’s border with the
Yukon Territory to nearly
normal figures for the Bering
Sea coastal areas.
Scan0042
Scan0069
Minimum 12-Day Mean Min Temperature for Alaska Records (from NOAA
RCC’s xmACIS2)
Missing
Period of
Station
Type
Value
Dates
Days
Record
1989-01-19
1923-08-01
BETHEL AP
WBAN
-37.9
through
0
to 2014-061989-01-30
25
PALMER
1989-01-19
1948-11-20
JOB
COOP
-27.0
through
0
to 2014-06CORPS
1989-01-30
22
1989-01-19
1900-08-13
NOME
WBAN
-43.5
through
0
to 2014-06MUNI AP
1989-01-30
25
1989-01-19
1951-05-01
BETTLES
WBAN
-62.9
through
0
to 2014-06AP
1989-01-30
25
LAZY MTN
COOP
-25.0
Bettles Area
ThreadEx
-62.9
Bethel Area
ThreadEx
-37.9
Nome Area
ThreadEx
-43.5
PORT
ALSWORTH
WBAN
-38.7
COLLEGE
OBSY
WBAN
-53.4
TANANA
CALHOUN
MEM AP
WBAN
-64.2
PUNTILLA
WBAN
-35.9
MAIN BAY
COOP
-1.2
KOYUK
COOP
-37.2
ALYESKA
COOP
-16.9
SEWARD
19 N
COOP
-12.7
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
1989-01-21
through
1989-02-01
1989-01-21
through
1989-02-01
1989-01-21
through
1989-02-01
1989-01-22
through
1989-02-02
1989-01-26
through
1989-0206+
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
1984-09-01
to 2014-0625
1944-05-01
to 2014-0625
1923-08-01
to 2014-0625
1906-12-02
to 2014-0625
1960-07-01
to 2014-0531
1948-05-16
to 2014-0626
1901-08-24
to 2014-0625
1942-01-01
to 2014-0430
1982-10-02
to 2014-0625
1988-11-01
to 2014-0626
1963-11-07
to 2014-0626
1986-11-06
to 2014-0228
Minimum 12-Day Mean Max Temperature for Alaska Records (from NOAA
RCC’s xmACIS2)
Missing
Period of
Station
Type
Value
Dates
Days
Record
1951-051989-01-16
01 to
BETTLES AP
WBAN
-53.6
through
0
2014-061989-01-27
25
Bettles Area
ThreadEx
-53.6
1989-01-16
through
1989-01-27
1989-01-16
through
1989-0127+
1989-01-16
through
1989-0127+
0
KOTZEBUE
RALPH WEIN
AP
WBAN
-35.7
Kotzebue
Area
ThreadEx
-35.7
BETHEL AP
WBAN
-30.1
1989-01-17
through
1989-01-28
0
TANANA
CALHOUN
MEM AP
WBAN
-50.7
1989-01-17
through
1989-01-28
0
SEWARD 8
NW
COOP
-4.3
1989-01-17
through
1989-01-28
3
Bethel Area
ThreadEx
-30.1
1989-01-17
through
1989-01-28
0
NOME MUNI
AP
WBAN
-28.1
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
0
KUPARUK
COOP
-37.7
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
0
-28.1
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
0
Nome Area
ThreadEx
MCGRATH
AP
WBAN
-42.8
Mcgrath Area
ThreadEx
-42.8
1989-01-18
through
1989-0129+
1989-01-18
through
0
0
0
0
1944-0501 to
2014-0625
1897-0912 to
2014-0625
1902-0801 to
2014-0625
1923-0801 to
2014-0625
1902-1001 to
2014-0625
1983-0701 to
2014-0531
1923-0801 to
2014-0625
1900-0813 to
2014-0625
1983-0201 to
2014-0626
1906-1201 to
2014-0625
1941-0601 to
2014-0625
1941-0601 to
1989-0129+
MANLEY
HOT
SPRINGS
WBAN
-51.2
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
0
0
KOYUK
COOP
-28.7
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
NENANA
MUNI AP
WBAN
-47.6
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1
COLLEGE
OBSY
WBAN
-43.3
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
0
PORT SAN
JUAN
COOP
19.2
1989-01-25
through
1989-02-05
0
12.0
1989-01-26
through
1989-0206+
0
MAIN BAY
COOP
2014-0625
1909-0701 to
2014-0331
1988-1101 to
2014-0626
1916-1201 to
2014-0625
1948-0516 to
2014-0626
1980-0701 to
2014-0626
1982-1002 to
2014-0625
Minimum 12-Day Mean Avg Temperature for Alaska Records (from NOAA
RCC’s xmACIS2)
Missing
Period of
Station
Type
Value
Dates
Days
Record
1989-01-16
1951-05-01
BETTLES
WBAN
-57.9
through
0
to 2014-06AP
1989-01-27
25
1989-01-16
1944-05-01
Bettles Area
ThreadEx
-57.9
through
0
to 2014-061989-01-27
25
1989-01-18
1941-06-01
MCGRATH
WBAN
-52.1
through
0
to 2014-06AP
1989-01-29
25
1989-01-18
1900-08-13
NOME MUNI
WBAN
-35.7
through
0
to 2014-06AP
1989-01-29
25
1989-01-18
1983-07-01
SEWARD 8
COOP
-13.9
through
3
to 2014-05NW
1989-01-29
31
KUPARUK
COOP
-42.0
Mcgrath
Area
ThreadEx
-52.1
Nome Area
ThreadEx
-35.7
BETHEL AP
WBAN
-33.6
PALMER
JOB CORPS
COOP
-16.4
WBAN
-57.2
WBAN
-57.0
LAZY MTN
COOP
-15.2
Bethel Area
ThreadEx
-33.6
COLLEGE
OBSY
WBAN
-48.4
NENANA
MUNI AP
WBAN
-53.5
KOYUK
COOP
-31.9
MAIN BAY
COOP
5.5
PORT SAN
JUAN
COOP
13.5
MANLEY
HOT
SPRINGS
TANANA
CALHOUN
MEM AP
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
1989-01-18
through
1989-01-29
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-19
through
1989-01-30
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
1989-01-20
through
1989-01-31
1989-01-21
through
1989-02-01
1989-01-26
through
1989-02-06
1989-01-26
through
1989-02-06
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
1983-02-01
to 2014-0626
1941-06-01
to 2014-0625
1906-12-02
to 2014-0625
1923-08-01
to 2014-0625
1948-11-20
to 2014-0622
1909-07-01
to 2014-0331
1902-10-01
to 2014-0625
1984-09-01
to 2014-0625
1923-08-01
to 2014-0625
1948-05-16
to 2014-0626
1916-12-01
to 2014-0625
1988-11-01
to 2014-0626
1982-10-02
to 2014-0625
1980-07-01
to 2014-0626