Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 28 to 31, 2000

Name: Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Alaska, March 28 to 31, 2000
Start: 2000-03-28T06:00
End: 2000-03-31T07:00
Location: Alaska

March 28 to 31, 2000 · NWS AFC · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

Gusts at Dutch Harbor reached at least 60 mph midday Tuesday, peaking at 75 mph at the airport Tuesday evening. Blizzard conditions were observed along the western Alaska Peninsula Tuesday afternoon, along with wind gusts up to 51 mph, as reported at Chignik.

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.

A moderate 969 mb low, 180 miles south of Dutch Harbor at 9 am Tuesday, moved to the southwest tip of Kodiak Island early Wednesday afternoon as a 978 mb center.On Tuesday, brisk northeast winds were observed on the north side of the low.Gusts at Dutch Harbor reached at least 60 mph midday Tuesday, peaking at 75 mph at the airport Tuesday evening. Winds gradually shifted to the northwest as the low moved off, and gusts finally diminished below 60 mph around the Dutch Harbor/Unalaska area by 4:30 am Wednesday.Blizzard conditions were observed along the western Alaska Peninsula Tuesday afternoon, along with wind gusts up to 51 mph, as reported at Chignik. Visibilities at Cold Bay and Chignik frequently reached 1/4 mile in snow and blowing snow.The front, associated with the low, continued to sweep northeast into the Gulf of Alaska late Tuesday and early Wednesday. By Wednesday afternoon, the front extended in a long arc from just east of Bethel to Minchumina to Black Rapids (in the eastern Alaska Range) to 60 miles east of Yakutat then southward. The front was preceded by brisk east to northeast winds. At the Augustine Island C-Man site, northeast wind gusts reached 74 mph at 10 pm Tuesday, diminishing below 60 mph early Wednesday morning. Gusts at the Portage ASOS peaked at 82 mph between 1 am and 2 am Wednesday. In the Anchorage area, wind gusts reached 62 mph at Glen Alps between 3 pm and 4 p m Wednesday. Gusts at the Portage ASOS peaked at 82 mph between 1 am and 2 am Wednesday.Further up in the Matanuska Valley, northeast wind gusts of 69 mph were recorded at the Wasilla Fire Station between 6 am and 6:30 am Wednesday.Well behind the original front, arctic air began to move toward Cook Inlet and the Susitna Valley. By 3pm Thursday, the arctic front extended from Fairbanks to just east of Talkeetna into lower Cook Inlet and just east of Kodiak. The front was preceded by locally brisk south winds. Along and immediately behind the front, heavy snows were locally reported.From 7 am Wednesday to 7 am Thursday, 12 inches of new snow was reported 12 miles north of Seward. Gusty south wind to 30 mph also produced low visibilities due to blowing snow. During the night, thunder and lightning accompanied the heavy snow squalls that moved through the area.From Thursday night to Friday morning (7 pm to 7 am) 6 to 10 inches of new snow was reported around Cantwell (MP 210) on the Parks Highway.Lesser amounts of snow were also reported further south along the Sterling Highway around Ninilchik and Homer where 6 inches of new snow fell from 7 am Thursday to 7 am Friday.

Event by event

4 high wind, 2 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Aleutian Islands

When: March 28, 6:00 AM AST to March 29, 10:00 AM AST
Where: Aleutian Islands forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Western Alaska Peninsula

When: March 28, 2:00 PM AST to 5:15 PM AST
Where: Western Alaska Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Cook Inlet

When: March 28, 6:00 PM AST to March 29, 4:00 AM AST
Where: Cook Inlet forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Central Gulf Coast

When: March 28, 6:00 PM AST to March 29, 4:00 PM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Measured: 71 kt (82 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Susitna Valley

When: March 29, 12:00 AM AST to 6:30 PM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Central Gulf Coast

When: March 29, 7:00 AM AST to March 30, 7:00 AM AST
Where: Central Gulf Coast forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Susitna Valley

When: March 30, 7:00 PM AST to March 31, 7:00 AM AST
Where: Susitna Valley forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

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.
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 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5131998, 5131999, 5132000, 5132001, 5132002, 5132003, 5132004.