Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 1 to 4, 2000

Name: Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 1 to 4, 2000
Start: 2000-02-01T17:00
End: 2000-02-04T09:35
Location: Alaska

February 1 to 4, 2000 · NWS AFG · 11 events in 8 counties and zones

A large low pressure system moved north into the eastern Bering Sea on 01 Feb. A break-off center moved northeast from the Yukon Delta to the Arctic Slope on 02 Feb.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $360,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 AFG wrote it up.

A large low pressure system moved north into the eastern Bering Sea on 01 Feb. A break-off center moved northeast from the Yukon Delta to the Arctic Slope on 02 Feb. A third center moved north from the Pribilofs to the Gulf of Anadyr on 03 Feb. A wide variety of winter weather broke out in advance of the lows, and strong south winds followed the second. The third center caused blizzard conditions and high winds on the west coast of Alaska. Heavy Snow occurred at: Koyukuk and Upper Kobuk Valleys: Wiseman 10" 2/2, 8" 2/3Lower Yukon Valley: Galena 8.3" 2/2; Kaltag 8.0" 2/2Tanana Valley: McKinley Park (Denali National Park) 6.2" 2/3.Blizzard conditions occurred at:St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait: Gambell, SavoongaKoyukuk and Upper Kobuk Valleys: Ambler, HusliaYukon Delta: Cape Romanzof, Saint Marys.Highest winds reported at:Tanana Valley: Healy 32 mph sustained, gust 60 mph; Delta Junction ASOS 58 mph sustained, gust 82 mph; Minchumina AWOS 37 mph sustained, gust 54 mph.North Slopes of the Brooks Range: Anaktuvuk Pass AWOS 36 mph sustained, gusts 55 mph.St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait: Gambell AWOS 45 mph sustained, gust 56 mph.Extreme Wind Chills reported at:Arctic Slope Coastal: Point Lay -92F ( wind 17-24 mph)Northern Seward Peninsula and Lower Kobuk Valley: Point Hope -80F (wind 25 mph)Damage from High Winds at Delta Junction included roof damage to various commercial buildings including a Building Supply ($60,000), Diner ($5,000), Greenhouses at a nursery ($10,000); various damage at Fort Greeley Army Installation ($100,000); entire roof off of a two-story house ($15,000), Mobile home blown over ($25,000), Separate Shop building blown down ($35,000), with remainder of damages mainly to roofs or portions of roofs.

Event by event

3 high wind, 3 heavy snow, 3 blizzard, 2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tanana Valley

When: February 1, 5:00 PM AST to February 2, 9:00 PM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Measured: 71 kt (82 mph)
Property damage: $360,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Lower Yukon Valley

When: February 1, 6:00 PM AST to February 2, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy Snow, Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys

When: February 2, 6:00 AM AST to February 3, 8:00 PM AST
Where: Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Blizzard, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When: February 2, 6:00 AM AST to February 3, 5:00 PM AST
Where: St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Tanana Valley

When: February 2, 8:00 AM AST to February 3, 8:00 AM AST
Where: Tanana Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Arctic Slope Coastal

When: February 2, 10:35 AM AST to 5:35 PM AST
Where: Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Kobuk Valley-Northern Seward Peninsula

When: February 2, 1:15 PM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Lower Kobuk Valley-Northern Seward Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, North Slopes of Brooks Range

When: February 2, 3:00 PM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where: North Slopes of Brooks Range forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys

When: February 2, 5:35 PM AST to February 4, 9:35 AM AST
Where: Koyukuk-Upper Kobuk Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Yukon Delta

When: February 2, 6:00 PM AST to February 3, 6:00 PM AST
Where: Yukon Delta forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When: February 3, 12:00 PM AST to 4:35 PM AST
Where: St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 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.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in Alaska, February 2000

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: 5134765, 5134760, 5134759, 5134762, 5134761, 5134768, 5134769, 5134766, 5134763, 5134764, 5134767.