1989 Cold Snap
Overview
The end of January 1989 brought sustained, exceptionally low temperatures to the state testing even the most prepared Alaskans. Many water and sewer systems failed as heating oil jelled. Batteries froze and cars wouldn’t start. The cold caused plane engines and propellers to malfunction. The high pressure of the weather pattern interfered with altimeters grounding planes and preventing deliveries to the bush. Mechanics, woodcutters and thawing businesses experienced increased demand. Temperature records were broken throughout the state, with Interior temperatures frequently dipping between -50°F and -60°F and wind chills reaching as low as -100°F. Tanana recorded the lowest temperature, -76°F, but unofficial temperatures dipped to -80s°F. Governor Cowper declared a state disaster January 28, 1989. Federal disaster declared May 10, 1989.
Weather woes
The 1989 Cold Snap was a two-part affair. During mid-January, high pressure air extended from Russia into Interior Alaska. This was reinforced by record breaking cold air that moved south from the high Arctic toward the North Slope and then to southcentral Alaska. A dramatic change in the weather pattern at the end of January resulted in record breaking high pressure that kept the cold air anchored over southeast Alaska into early February.
Disaster declared
Jan. 28: Governor Cowper declared a state disaster emergency
Feb. 27, Mar. 2, Apr. 20: Governor Cowper declared disaster for Sand Point, Ahkiok, and Galena to repair water, sewer, and electrical power generating systems
May 10: FEMA declared disaster to aid in repair of electric and sanitation systems across Alaska, especially in the Northwest Arctic Borough
Record breaking cold
The 1989 Cold Snap rivals others in the 20th century, and remains the most severe on record for much of the western Interior, west coast of Alaska and southwest Alaska. For much of central and eastern mainland Alaska, cold snaps in 1947, 1961, 1971, and 1975 were similar in duration and brought lower temperatures. Across Southeast Alaska, cold snaps during several winters in the 1940s and in 1968, 1971, and 1975 brought colder weather for longer. The temperatures listed in blue on the map below represent record setting temperatures that occurred during the snap. They are the lowest temperatures ever recorded at these locations as of 2023.
Community specific impacts
Nome: Pipes froze at the elementary school and St Joseph Catholic Church, Nome Joint Utilities diluted #2 diesel fuel with #1 fuel at $1.131 per gallon for better flow
Buckland: Lost electricity at -50, power plant broke down, telephone system stopped working, airplanes ceased flying, Blazo (fuel) ran low for some residents
Fairbanks: Extreme cold and ice fog caused low visibility (less than 1/8 mile), school system closed on 1/30 and 1/31 (first time since mid 70s), not safe for buses to operate
Ft. Wainright: Brim Frost ‘89, a military training exercise, was held during the snap, a C130 plane crashed and 8 participating Canadian military personnel died as a result
Northway: A barometric pressure of 31.85 inches recorded (the current record in the United States as of 2023), third highest reading in world history at the time
Juneau: An avalanche damaged the line to hydropower and a broken diesel fired turbine prompted Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. to warn of potential rolling blackouts
Valdez: High winds (93 mph) closed the port of Valdez for one day (1/30), reduction of oil in pipeline resulted in $3 million per day in lost oil taxes and revenues
Anchorage: Police reported car batteries dying, pipes froze, firefighters responded to furnace fires and fires started in attempts to thaw pipes, delays at airport
King Cove: Community members resorted to using copper tubing to feed fuel from buckets into furnaces due to frozen fuel lines
Galena: Schools closed, widespread freezing of water and sewer systems, individuals wrapped fuel lines to prevent freezing, tires flattened due to cold
By the numbers
Tanana reported the lowest official temperature of -76 °F on 1/27. There were 17 straight days of daytime high temperatures in Tanana of -40 °F or lower.
Wind chills of -85 °F and -93 °F reported at Cantwell (1/27) and Deadhorse (1/28), with sustained winds of 37 mph and 23 mph respectively.
Anchorage recorded the lowest daytime high temperature on record of -19 °F on 1/28.
Ambler recorded a daytime high temperature of -66 °F on 1/26.
Snapshot of Temperatures (Low/High °F)
| Jan. 25 | Jan. 26 | Jan. 27 | Jan. 28 | Jan. 29 | Jan. 30 | Jan. 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage | 1/13 | -13/1 | -24/-13 | -25/-19 | -30/-3 | -4/6 | -17/3 |
| Fairbanks | -40/-30 | -46/-36 | -49/-41 | -49/-44 | -49/-41 | -51/-39 | -46/-28 |
| Juneau | 35/42 | 30/36 | 30/37 | 26/40 | 2/27 | -3/2 | 0/6 |