Alert archive / Alaska / Blizzard Watches in 2013

Blizzard Watch 9, NWS Anchorage, AK

February 14, 2013

NWS Anchorage, AK issued this blizzard watch at Feb 14, 2013, 3:58 PM AKST. It took effect at Feb 15, 2013, 6:00 PM AKST. It was in force for .

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 14, 2013, 3:58 PM AKST (00:58 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 15, 2013, 6:00 PM AKST
Expired
Feb 15, 2013, 12:00 PM AKST
In force
Issued by
NWS Anchorage, AK

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

482 
WWAK42 PAFC 150058
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
358 PM AKST THU FEB 14 2013

...PACIFIC STORM MAY BRING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO EASTERN ALEUTIANS...

.A NORTH PACIFIC LOW WILL BE SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS FRIDAY
NIGHT AND TRACK PARALLEL ALONG THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN. BY SATURDAY
AFTERNOON THE LOW WILL BE PAST UNALASKA. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO
BRING SNOW AND STRONG EASTERLY WINDS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY MORNING.

AKZ185-151500-
/X.NEW.PAFC.BZ.A.0009.130216T0300Z-130216T0900Z/
EASTERN ALEUTIANS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...UNALASKA...NIKOLSKI
358 PM AKST THU FEB 14 2013

...BLIZZARD WATCH IN EFFECT FRIDAY EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FRIDAY EVENING. 

* SNOW...1 TO 2 INCHES.

* VISIBILITY...POSSIBLY REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. 

* WIND...EAST 35 TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...THE WORST CONDITIONS LOOK TO DEVELOP FRIDAY EVENING AND
  THEN DIMINISH BY MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. THE TEMPERATURES WILL RISE
  ABOVE FREEZING BY LATE FRIDAY EVENING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL
  DIMINISH WITH TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO RISE.

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW
  MAY PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. DRIVING MAY BECOME
  VERY DIFFICULT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND/OR
BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES.
THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY
DIFFICULT.

&&

$$
PLD
2 follow-up statements
972 
WWAK42 PAFC 151334
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
434 AM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013


AKZ155-160300-
/X.NEW.PAFC.WC.Y.0005.130215T1334Z-130216T0300Z/
KUSKOKWIM DELTA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BETHEL...HOOPER BAY...NUNIVAK ISLAND
434 AM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AKST THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AKST THIS EVENING. 

* WIND...WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 20 MPH. 

* WIND CHILL VALUES...AS LOW AS 50 BELOW...MAINLY NEAR BETHEL. 

* TIMING...LOWEST WIND CHILLS TO 50 BELOW PERSIST THROUGH EARLY
  AFTERNOON...THEN WILL GRADUALLY WARM ABOVE ADVISORY LEVELS AS
  WINDS BEGIN TO SUBSIDE BY EVENING. 

* IMPACTS...INCREASED RISK OF HYPOTHERMIA AND FROSTBITE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROSTBITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

&&

$$

AKZ185-160330-
/X.CON.PAFC.BZ.A.0009.130216T0300Z-130216T0900Z/
EASTERN ALEUTIANS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...UNALASKA...NIKOLSKI
434 AM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013

...BLIZZARD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS EVENING...

* SNOW...UP TO 1 INCH.

* VISIBILITY...POSSIBLY REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT 
  TIMES.

* WIND...EAST 35 TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...THE WORST CONDITIONS LOOK TO DEVELOP BRIEFLY FRIDAY
  EVENING AND THEN DIMINISH BY MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. THE TEMPERATURES
  WILL RISE ABOVE FREEZING BY LATE FRIDAY EVENING AND BLOWING SNOW
  WILL DIMINISH WITH TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO RISE.

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW 
  MAY PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES. DRIVING MAY BECOME 
  VERY DIFFICULT. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FALLING AND/OR
BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES.
THIS CAN LEAD TO WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AND MAKE TRAVEL VERY
DIFFICULT.

&&

$$
701 
WWAK42 PAFC 152100
WSWALU

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1200 PM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013

AKZ155-152200-
/X.CAN.PAFC.WC.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-130216T0300Z/
KUSKOKWIM DELTA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BETHEL...HOOPER BAY...NUNIVAK ISLAND
1200 PM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS CANCELED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS CANCELED THE WIND
CHILL ADVISORY.


$$

AKZ185-152200-
/X.CAN.PAFC.BZ.A.0009.130216T0300Z-130216T0900Z/
EASTERN ALEUTIANS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...UNALASKA...NIKOLSKI
1200 PM AKST FRI FEB 15 2013

...BLIZZARD WATCH IS CANCELED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS CANCELED THE
BLIZZARD WATCH.

THE MOST RECENT DATA INDICATES THAT WARMER AIR WILL MOVE QUICKLY INTO
THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS THIS EVENING. WHILE THERE WILL STILL BE PERIODS
OF BLOWING SNOW IN THE UNALASKA AND NIKOLSKI AREAS THIS EVENING
ANY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY ARE EXPECTED TO BE SHORT
LIVED.

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this blizzard watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this blizzard watch went out at Feb 14, 5:00 AM AKST, 10 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 14, 5:00 AM AKST, 10 hours 58 minutes before
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
500 AM AKST THU FEB 14 2013

CORRECTED WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
A STRENGTHENING LOW CURRENTLY SOUTH OF KODIAK ISLAND IS MOVING
NORTHWARD INTO THE WESTERN GULF. NORTHWEST OF THIS LOW A DEVELOPING
DEFORMATION ZONE IS PRODUCING SNOW SHOWERS FROM THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA
TO ALASKA PENINSULA. NORTH OF THE KODIAK LOW A BARRIER JET STRETCHES
FROM PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND TO THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE. THIS BARRIER JET
WILL INTENSIFY TODAY IN RESPONSE TO THE APPROACHING LOW FROM THE
SOUTH. ANOTHER LOW IS CURRENTLY WELL SOUTHWEST OF THE ALEUTIANS...AND
WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE WESTERN CHAIN ON FRIDAY MORNING.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
THE MODELS ARE IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT TODAY IN THE SHORT TERM THAN
YESTERDAY. SPECIFICALLY THE NAM IS HANDLING THE LOW NEAR KODIAK
ISLAND MUCH BETTER TODAY...SO IT WAS ABLE TO BE USED MORE FOR TODAYS
MORNING PACKAGE THAN IN PREVIOUS DAYS. HOWEVER CLOSER EXAMINATION OF
SATELLITE AND MIDDELTON RADAR SHOW THAT THE MODELS ARE ROUGHLY 3
HOURS TOO SLOW TO BRING LOW INTO THE GULF. THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT
THAT THIS SYSTEM WILL MAKE LANDFALL JUST EAST OF SEWARD TOMORROW
MORNING...ON NEARLY AN IDENTICAL TRACK TO THE LOW THAT PASSED THROUGH
YESTERDAY.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
.SOUTHCENTRAL...MOST OF SOUTHCENTRAL WILL SEE A SHORT PERIOD OF QUIET
WEATHER TODAY BEFORE THE APPROACHING LOW NEAR KODIAK BEGINS AFFECTING
COASTAL AREAS LATER THIS MORNING...FOLLOWED BY THE INTERIOR AREAS OF
SOUTHCENTRAL THIS EVENING. ANCHORAGE AND THE MATANUSKA VALLEY WILL BE
INITIALLY DOWNSLOPED THROUGH THIS EVENING...BUT THEN A BETTER CHANCE
FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL MOVE IN LATE TONIGHT AS THE SOUTHEAST
WINDS ALOFT DIMINISH. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL FOR ANCHORAGE WILL OCCUR
FRIDAY MORNING AS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES IN FROM THE WESTERN
INTERIOR. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THAT ANCHORAGE WILL STAY JUST
BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL SNOWFALL...BUT THAT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED AS
THE SYSTEM DEVELOPS TODAY.

.SOUTHWEST...THE DEFORMATION ZONE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE AN AREA OF
SNOW OVER THE EASTERN KUSKOKWIM DELTA AND LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY.
THIS ZONE WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW
SHIFTS TO THE EAST. A WEAKENING LOW THAT PASSED THROUGH THE ALASKA
PENINSULA LAST NIGHT WILL PRODUCE SNOW SHOWERS FOR BRISTOL BAY
THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATION FROM THESE SYSTEMS
WILL OCCUR IN THE LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY AND BRISTOL BAY...WHERE UP
TO 3 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE.

.BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...NORTH WINDS AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL PREVIAL
TODAY FOR THE EASTERN BERING AND ALEUTIANS TODAY. THE WESTERN
ALEUTIANS ON THE OTHER HAND WILL BEGIN TO BE AFFECTED BY THE
APPROACHNG ALEUTIAN LOW STARTING LATE THIS WEEKEND...WHICH WILL THEN
SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ALEUTIANS THIS WEEKEND. THIS SYSTEM WILL STAY
COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW UNTIL FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN RAIN WILL BEGIN MIXING
IN OVER THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
MODEL DISAGREEMENTS IN THE LONG RANGE CONTINUE TO BE IMPACTED BY A
SIBERIAN RIDGE SLIDING INTO THE BERING. THIS WILL PREVENT THE
EASTWARD PROGRESSION ON THE ALEUTIAN LOW TRACK STARTING SUNDAY. THERE
IS ALSO GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT THAT THIS RIDGE WILL THEN MOVE OVER TO
THE WESTERN MAINLAND...WHICH WILL LOOKS TO BRING CLEAR AND COOLER
WEATHER TO THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...STORM...120 352
         GALE...130 140 155 160 165 170 171 172 175 176 351 411 412
                413
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY...130 138 140 150 155 160 165 170 171
                                179 412 413 414
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

DEK FEB 13

The office that day

Everything else NWS Anchorage, AK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC48 hr
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC4 days
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC48 hr
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC12 hr
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC24 hr
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningAFC4 days
Feb 14, 4:00 PM AKSTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningAFC36 hr
Feb 15, 4:00 AM AKSTBrisk Wind AdvisoryAFC48 hr
Feb 15, 4:00 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC11 days
Feb 15, 4:00 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC36 hr
Feb 15, 4:00 AM AKSTStorm WarningAFC12 hr
Feb 15, 4:00 AM AKSTStorm WarningAFC48 hr
Feb 15, 4:34 AM AKSTWind Chill AdvisoryAFC7 hr

Nearby

Blizzard Watches in Alaska, 2013Every blizzard watch in 2013

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.