High Wind, Arctic Slope Coastal
- When
- March 12, 1:15 AM AST to 3:15 PM AST
- Where
- Arctic Slope Coastal forecast zone
- Measured
- 41 kt (47 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, March 12 to 13, 2000
A small lee side trough of low pressure formed just north of the Brooks Range early on March 12, and interacted with moderate highpressure in the arctic basin to cause high wind and blizzard conditions at Point Lay. Highest wind at Point Lay AWOS: 40 mph sustained, gust 47 mph.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 small lee side trough of low pressure formed just north of the Brooks Range early on March 12, and interacted with moderate highpressure in the arctic basin to cause high wind and blizzard conditions at Point Lay. The wind weakened as the trough weakened.Highest wind at Point Lay AWOS: 40 mph sustained, gust 47 mph.
Event by event
1 high wind, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Arctic Slope Coastal
- When
- March 12, 9:00 AM AST to March 13, 3:00 PM AST
- Where
- Arctic Slope Coastal 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.
- 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.
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, March 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: 5135696, 5135697.