Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 25 to 26, 2001

A strong 966 mb low 150 miles south of Chignik, with a frontal system approaching Kodiak Island late Sunday morning, produced strong pre-frontal winds and areas of heavy precipitation along windward sides of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. By 3 am Monday, the low had weakened considerably and moved to 100 miles south southwest of McGrath, with the associated frontal system extending into the eastern Alaska Range and southward through Cape Yakataga.Sitkinak, at the south end of Kodiak Island, recorded wind gusts of 60+ from just after noon Sunday until 6 pm Sunday evening. Peak gusts at the site reached 70 mph a few hours after frontal passage between 4 and 5 pm. Winds at the Augustine C-Man site near the Barren Islands reached 58 mph between 2 and 3pm Sunday as the front approached. Winds at the Kodiak ASOS at the Coast Guard Base peaked at 50 mph between 4 and 5 pm Sunday.In Western Prince William Sound, east southeast winds briefly reached 61 mph at Portage between 3 and 4pm Sunday. In addition to the winds, moderate snow and occasional blizzard conditions were reported during the late afternoon and early evening. Precipitation changed to rain later in the evening. Significant snowfall was also reported at Whittier.Around Valdez, in the northeast Prince William Sound area, both Thompson Pass and the city received 22 inches of snow from Sunday afternoon through early Monday.In southeast Prince William Sound, peak winds reached 56 mph at the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova Sunday and 80 mph Monday morning. Winds at the site have been estimated at 15 - 20% below actual winds in the immediate area.Wind gusts at Glen Alps, along the Anchorage Hillside, of 60+ mph were recorded from 7am Sunday to 5 pm Monday. Peak winds reached 78 mph between 5 and 6am Sunday. Although strong winds continued to descend from higher elevations, by the time windy conditions reached sea level or near sea level, gusts were only in the 40 - 55 mph range. Downslope winds brought high temperatures of 52 degrees to Elmendorf AFB just after noon Monday.In western Prince William Sound, Grandview received 10 - 12" of snow from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Turnagain Pass and Summit Lake also received heavy snows...which changed to rain. Amounts reported were just under warning levels at these sites, however.In the Susitna Valley, reports received from East Fork Maintenance Camp of DOT mentioned 6 inches of new snow. Typically in cases like this sporadic reports do not reflect highest amounts...which, in this case, likely exceeded the 8 inch/12 hours or less threshold for a heavy snow warning.