Alaska, 2000

Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Alaska, February 17 to 20, 2000

February 17 to 20, 2000 · NWS AFG · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Moderate Low Pressure crossed the Aleutians near Nikolski on the afternoon of Feb 17, reaching the Pribilof island waters on the early morning of Feb 18. The weather front ahead of the low reached Saint Lawrence Island on the afternoon of Feb 17, bringing blizzard conditions to Saint Lawrence Island from mid day through the evening of Feb 17 and high wind to the Southern Seward Peninsula on Feb…

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Moderate Low Pressure crossed the Aleutians near Nikolski on the afternoon of Feb 17, reaching the Pribilof island waters on the early morning of Feb 18. The weather front ahead of the low reached Saint Lawrence Island on the afternoon of Feb 17, bringing blizzard conditions to Saint Lawrence Island from mid day through the evening of Feb 17 and high wind to the Southern Seward Peninsula on Feb 18. As the frontal zone moved northward, high wind and blizzard conditions occurred on the Arctic coast from mid morning Feb 18 through Feb 19. Extreme wind chill developed on the western Arctic Coast from the evening of Feb 18 through Feb 19.Bllizzard conditions occurred at:Saint Lawrence Island: Gambell - marginally on the 17th, again on the 19th. Arctic Slope Coastal: Wainwright, Point Lay, Deadhorse, Nuiqsut, Kuparuk.Extreme Wind Chill occurred at:Arctic Slope Coastal: Point Lay -95 F, winds 35-44 mph.High Winds occurred at:Southern Seward Peninsula: Golovin AWOS sustained 46 mph, gust 54 mph.Arctic Slope Coastal: Point Lay AWOS: sustained 44 mph, gust 51 mph.

Event by event

3 blizzard, 2 high wind, 1 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When
February 17, 12:00 PM AST to 5:35 PM AST
Where
St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Arctic Slope Coastal

When
February 18, 6:35 AM AST to February 19, 12:35 PM AST
Where
Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Southern Seward Peninsula-Eastern Norton Sound

When
February 18, 7:15 AM AST to 3:35 PM AST
Where
Southern Seward Peninsula-Eastern Norton Sound forecast zone
Measured
47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Arctic Slope Coastal

When
February 18, 10:00 AM AST to February 19, 6:00 PM AST
Where
Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Arctic Slope Coastal

When
February 18, 6:00 PM AST to February 20, 1:00 AM AST
Where
Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast

When
February 19, 1:35 PM AST to 4:00 PM AST
Where
St. Lawrence Island-Bering Strait Coast forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5135265, 5135269, 5135267, 5135268, 5135270, 5135266.