Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait
- When
- February 10, 3:55 AM AST to February 11, 7:15 PM AST
- Where
- St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard and Winter Storm in Alaska, February 10 to 12, 2001
A storm as low as 961 mb moved north over the Bering Sea on the 10th, filling to 983 mb by the time it reached the western Chukchi Sea on the evening of the 11th. The associated occluded front moved over the west coast of Alaska on the 10th, and offshore of the Arctic Coast the afternoon of the 11th.
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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 storm as low as 961 mb moved north over the Bering Sea on the 10th, filling to 983 mb by the time it reached the western Chukchi Sea on the evening of the 11th. The associated occluded front moved over the west coast of Alaska on the 10th, and offshore of the Arctic Coast the afternoon of the 11th. A small low pressure center developed on the front in the Fairbanks area on the afternoon of the 11th, and caused the front to remain stationary over the Middle Tanana Valley, producing heavy snow. Blizzard conditions occurred across the west coast of Alaska, along with heavy snow, and over southwest Alaska, pockets of light freezing rain likely occurred where a shallow layer of cold air at the surface was overrun by warmer, moist air aloft. Areas of heavy snow also occurred over parts of the eastern Interior of Alaska. In addition, strong south winds occurred across the central Alaska Range in advance of the frontal system.Strong winds were reported at:Zone 213 - Gambell AWOS: sustained 55 mph, gust 64 mph; Savoonga AWOS sustained 60 mph, gust 75 mph.Zone 225 - Healy: gusts to 60 mph.Blizzard conditions occurred at:Zone 207 - Kivalina, ShishmarefZone 208 - Red Dog Mine Zone 209 - KotzebueZone 210 - Buckland, DeeringZone 211 - Nome, GolovinZone 213 - Gambell, Savoonga, Tin CityLight Freezing Precipitation likely occurred at:Zone 212 - KoyukZone 214 - Saint MarysZone 215 - AnvikHeavy Snow fell occurred at:Zone 211 - Nome: 6.4 inches ending midnight on the 11th.Zone 212 - Koyuk: 8.0 inches - 24 hour total on the morning of the 11th. Zone 215 - Kaltag (Co-op observer): 6.0 inches the morning of the 12thZone 218 - Upper Colleen River Co-op observer: 6.0 inches Zone 221 - Livengood D.O.T. Camp - 6.0 inchesZone 222 - Fairbanks Airport: 8.3 inches ending at noon on the 12th. Co-op Reports from the morning of the 12th ranged from 6.0 inches to 6.6 inches of snow.Zone 224 - Tok Co-op Observer: 8.0 inchesZone 226 - Trimms D.O.T. Camp reported 6.0 inches the morning of the 12th, along with poor visibility.
Event by event
6 blizzard, 4 winter storm, 4 heavy snow, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Yukon Delta
- When
- February 10, 8:15 AM AST to 3:15 PM AST
- Where
- Yukon Delta forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast
- When
- February 10, 10:29 AM AST to 5:38 PM AST
- Where
- Srn Seward Peninsula Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula
- When
- February 10, 12:31 PM AST to 6:35 PM AST
- Where
- Nrn & Intr. Seward Peninsula forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast
- When
- February 10, 12:35 PM AST to February 11, 9:53 PM AST
- Where
- Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Blizzard, Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley
- When
- February 10, 1:46 PM AST to 11:04 PM AST
- Where
- Baldwin Pen. & Selawik Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Winter Storm, Lower Yukon Valley
- When
- February 10, 3:15 PM AST to 4:35 PM AST
- Where
- Lower Yukon Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Winter Storm, Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills
- When
- February 10, 4:55 PM AST to 8:55 PM AST
- Where
- Ern Norton Sound Nulato Hills forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
High Wind, Denali
- When
- February 10, 5:46 PM AST to 10:00 PM AST
- Where
- Denali forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
High Wind, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait
- When
- February 11, 5:35 AM AST to 1:35 PM AST
- Where
- St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heavy Snow, Middle Tanana Valley
- When
- February 11, 12:00 PM AST to February 12, 12:00 PM AST
- Where
- Middle Tanana Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heavy Snow, Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly
- When
- February 11, 2:00 PM AST to February 12, 2:00 PM AST
- Where
- Wrn Tanana Vly Wrn Yukon Vly forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Blizzard, Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys
- When
- February 11, 2:40 PM AST to February 12, 1:50 PM AST
- Where
- Lower Kobuk & Noatak Valleys forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Winter Storm, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng
- When
- February 11, 3:00 PM AST to February 12, 3:00 PM AST
- Where
- Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Heavy Snow, Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile
- When
- February 11, 4:00 PM AST to February 12, 4:00 PM AST
- Where
- Upr Tanana Vly Fortymile forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Heavy Snow, S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range
- When
- February 11, 6:00 PM AST to February 12, 6:00 PM AST
- Where
- S. Slopes of Ern Brooks Range forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blizzard, Srn Seward Peninsula Coast | 2001-02-14 | 44 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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.
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood in Michigan, February 10 to 13, 2001
- High Wind in New York, February 10, 2001
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 10, 2001
- High Wind in New York, February 10, 2001
- High Wind in New York, February 10, 2001
- Hail in California, February 10, 2001
- High Wind in Vermont, February 10, 2001
- Flood in Michigan, February 10 to 11, 2001
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, February 10, 2001
- Flood in Michigan, February 10, 2001
- Rip Current in Guam, February 10, 2001
- Flood in Michigan, February 10 to 11, 2001
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, February 2001
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: 5235237, 5235239, 5235236, 5234525, 5235241, 5235243, 5235240, 5235238, 5235242, 5235250, 5235244, 5235246, 5235248, 5235249, 5235245, 5235247.