Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, February 26 to 28, 2001

An intense 950 mb low 240 miles south of Kodiak Island Monday afternoon moved across the Island very early Tuesday, to a position between Iliamna and Sparrevohn AFB later Tuesday. The low weakened rapidly thereafter. Strong winds were observed around the low...mostly along its south semicircle. Strong pressure rises accompanied passage of the low as it moved north northwest through Kodiak Island into the southwest Alaskan interior.The front associated with the low moved north into Prince William Sound and across Turnagain Arm very early Tuesday, weakening in a long arc through the central Alaskan Interior Tuesday afternoon. Strong easterly winds preceded the front, while gusty south winds followed it.Around Kodiak Island, pre-frontal northeast winds first reached 60+ mph around noon Monday, peaking at 70 mph at Sitkinak with frontal passage around 6 pm. Winds briefly diminished and directions switched to the southeast after frontal passage...however winds rapidly increased on the back side of the low, with gusts of 61 mph reported through 6 am Tuesday. Heavy pre-frontal precipitation was recorded at the Kodiak ASOS, along with peak northeast wind gusts of 48 mph between 6 and 7 pm Monday. Gusts at the Augustine C-Man site, probably indicative of Afognak and Cape Douglas winds, peaked at 76 mph from the northeast between 10 and 11 pm Monday. The low appears to have tracked very close to Augustine Island between 9 and 10 am Tuesday on its way north northwest into the mainland.Pre-frontal winds at Middleton Island peaked at 62 mph between 8:55 pm and 9:15 pm Monday. Winds of 60+ at the site were observed from 7:15 pm to 9:15 pm Monday. Gusts at the Prince William Sound Science Center peaked at 80 mph early Tuesday. Winds in the Cordova area diminished below 60+ by 9 am Tuesday. In the western part of Prince William Sound, gusts of 60+ mph were recorded at Portage from 5:10 pm through 8:53 pm Monday, well in advance of the front. Alyeska Ski Resort recorded a 90 mph gust at the 3300' level of the mountain late Monday and early Tuesday.Winds at a remote site in the Copper River Basin also peaked at just over 60 mph Tuesday, as strong pressure rises moved into the central North Gulf Coast.Winds along the Upper Anchorage Hillside reached 62 mph briefly between 4 and 5 am Tuesday as the front moved through. High elevation winds at the old Nike site east of Anchorage above Alpenglow reached at least 111 mph between 3 and 4 am with the same front, diminishing to less than 30 mph after 5 am Tuesday.Winds in the Matanuska Valley area gusted just under 60 mph as the front approached late Monday and into early Tuesday. Heavy precipitation was also reported throughout Prince William Sound, across the southern Kenai Peninsula coast and Turnagain Arm. Most precipitation across the Kenai Peninsula coast and areas adjacent to Prince William Sound fell as rain. DOT reports indicated 12 inches of new snow at Cascade and 6-8 inches at Moose Pass. At Grandview, an area normally prone to heavy snows with this type of system, 24 hour precipitation totals reached 1.66 inches...however more rain than snow was reported.Heavy snow was also reported in the northern Susitna Valley with local accumulations in excess of 8 inches in less than a 12 hour period. State DOT also issued a Travel Advisory for blowing/drifting snow and very poor visibilities between MP 190-200 along the Parks Highway early Tuesday.