Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 19 to 21, 1999

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 19 to 21, 1999
Start: 1999-02-19T06:00
End: 1999-02-21T12:00
Location: Alaska

February 19 to 21, 1999 · NWS AFC · 7 events in 6 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AFC wrote it up.

An intense 962 mb low moved into the central Aleutians Friday, decelerating and curving north to 120 miles southwest of the Pribilofs early Saturday as a 955 mb center. The low then began to slowly drift north to a position 150 miles northwest of Saint Paul Island early Sunday. The front associated with this intense storm moved through Dutch Harbor/Unalaska at around 9 pm Friday then through Bristol Bay to just north of Nunivak Island back into the central Bering Sea around the low.Strong southeast winds preceded the front, gusting to 115 mph in Iliuliuk Bay near Dutch Harbor. The gusts were measured by the Coast Guard Cutter "Mellon" and also at the APL dock on the Bay's southwest coast. The "Heikfu" was awaiting a load of frozen fish, when gusts began to rapidly increase Friday afternoon. The vessel began to drag anchor and went aground near Rocky Point. The Dutch Harbor harbormaster relayed that 'it was a good thing that there were only wind waves involved, instead of swells which could have more permanently grounded the vessel'. Fortunately, no lives were lost and no fuel was spilled...however it was several days later before the vessel was re-floated and moved to a repair dock.On the south side of the low, adjusted wind gusts reached 56 mph at Dutch Harbor and 65 mph at Adak. Winds were accompanied by driving snows, creating brief blizzard conditions. Communications to and from Dutch Harbor/Unalaska were cut off for about 6 hours as heavy snow piled up on the 'earth station relay' which feeds and downloads transmissions from a satellite.Prefrontal winds were also very strong along the Alaska Peninsula. Adjusted winds at Cold Bay reached 75 mph just prior to the frontal passage. Sustained southwest winds of 58 mph on the back side of the low were reported by several ships just northwest of the Peninsula.Midday Saturday, prefrontal, southeast, adjusted wind gusts reached as high as 73 mph at Cape Newenham, right at the border of the Bristol Bay and Kuskokwim Delta zones. Winds are typically accelerated by terrain in this area, however adjusted winds at King Salmon reached 46 mph, with 60 mph adjusted gusts recorded at Iliamna. Just offshore of the Kuskokwim Delta, adjusted prefrontal wind gusts at Mekoryuk reached 58 mph. Early Saturday evening, gusts reached 76 mph at Cape Romanzof, another area where winds are accelerated by terrain.On Kodiak Island, adjusted prefrontal wind gusts were clocked at 61 mph at the airport. Booth Lake RAWS recorded gusts of 55 mph.Across the Kenai Peninsula, locally strong winds were also reported. Gusts reached close to 40 mph around Homer...along with 8 inches of snow in town and 18 inches of new snow along the Ridge. Heavy snow began Saturday and ended Sunday around Kachemak Bay.Further north, wind gusts reached 64 mph at the Portage Visitors Center several times Saturday. Saturday evening, wind gusts of 55 mph were recorded at Glen Alps (Upper Anchorage hillside).

Event by event

6 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: February 19, 6:00 AM AST to February 21, 6:00 AM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 100 kt (115 mph)
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: February 19, 12:00 PM AST to February 20, 3:00 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Bristol Bay Coastal

When: February 20, 12:00 AM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kuskokwim Delta

When: February 20, 12:00 AM AST to February 21, 9:00 AM AST
Where: Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Cook Inlet

When: February 20, 5:00 AM AST to February 21, 12:00 PM AST
Where: Cook Inlet forecast zone
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA

High Wind, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When: February 20, 6:00 AM AST to February 21, 3:00 AM AST
Where: Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Cook Inlet

When: February 20, 6:00 PM AST to February 21, 3:00 AM AST
Where: Cook Inlet forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 1999

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5679450, 5679451, 5679452, 5679453, 5679456, 5679454, 5679455.