Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 3, 2001

Name: Blizzard and High Wind in Alaska, February 3, 2001
Start: 2001-02-03T18:25
End: 2001-02-03T23:56
Location: Alaska

February 3, 2001 · NWS AFC · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A 966 mb low moved north northeast into the western Bering Sea late Saturday and Sunday, just west of Shemya. The low brought heavy snow and blizzard conditions to the area Saturday evening.

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 AFC wrote it up.

A 966 mb low moved north northeast into the western Bering Sea late Saturday and Sunday, just west of Shemya. The low brought heavy snow and blizzard conditions to the area Saturday evening. Additionally, southwest winds on the back side of the low briefly reached 63 mph between 11 pm and midnight at the Shemya ASOS.

Event by event

1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Western Aleutians

When: February 3, 6:25 PM AST to 8:00 PM AST
Where: Western Aleutians forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Western Aleutians

When: February 3, 11:26 PM AST to 11:56 PM AST
Where: Western Aleutians forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alaska in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5228508, 5228509.