Alaska, 1999

Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, March 9 to 12, 1999

March 9 to 12, 1999 · NWS AFC · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

An intense 968 mb low moved into the central Aleutians as the day began Tuesday. Cold arctic air was in place across the entire mainland.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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 968 mb low moved into the central Aleutians as the day began Tuesday. Cold arctic air was in place across the entire mainland. The low was located just south of Adak at 9am Tuesday, continuing on an easterly path to just southeast of Kodiak Island late Wednesday. The low pulled cold arctic air southward in its wake, producing wind chills ranging from 40 to locally 70 below zero.Strong winds were reported just north and west of the center across the Aleutians Tuesday, gusting upwards of 60 mph. These strong winds followed the low northeastward..diminishing in all but the northwest quadrant of the center by Wednesday. Adjusted ASOS wind gusts on the back side of the low reached 97 mph at Chignik, on the northwest quadrant of the low, just after 3am Friday.Wind gusts ahead of the low reached 59 mph just south of Prince William Sound Wednesday.Kodiak recorded 8.4 inches of snow on the 10th, breaking an old record for the day.

Event by event

5 high wind, 3 cold/wind chill, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When
March 9, 12:00 AM AST to March 10, 6:00 AM AST
Where
Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Pribilof Islands

When
March 9, 3:00 PM AST to March 10, 6:00 AM AST
Where
Pribilof Islands forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When
March 10, 12:00 AM AST to 11:59 PM AST
Where
Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

High Wind, Western Alaska Peninsula

When
March 10, 3:00 AM AST to March 12, 6:00 PM AST
Where
Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured
84 kt (97 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When
March 10, 3:00 PM AST to March 11, 3:00 PM AST
Where
Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Bristol Bay Coastal

When
March 10, 6:00 PM AST to March 12, 9:00 AM AST
Where
Bristol Bay Coastal forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula

When
March 11, 12:00 AM AST to March 12, 9:00 PM AST
Where
Kodiak Island-Eastern Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Kuskokwim Delta

When
March 11, 3:00 PM AST to March 12, 3:00 PM AST
Where
Kuskokwim Delta forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Kuskokwim Valley

When
March 11, 3:00 PM AST to March 12, 10:00 PM AST
Where
Kuskokwim Valley forecast zone
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.
Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5680712, 5680713, 5680720, 5680714, 5680718, 5680715, 5680719, 5680716, 5680717.