Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Alaska, March 24 to 27, 2001

Name: Blizzard and Extreme Cold in Alaska, March 24 to 27, 2001
Start: 2001-03-24T18:53
End: 2001-03-27T04:00
Location: Alaska

March 24 to 27, 2001 · NWS AFG · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Zone 217 - Makpik Creek Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) - lowest was -82 F.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

High pressure over the Chukchi Sea and coldweak Low pressure over the Kotzebue area produced cold Wind Chills and Blizzard Conditions over Northwest Alaska, and the Bering Strait..Blizzard conditions occurred at:Zone 207- KivalinaZone 213 - Tin CityWind Chill conditions occured at:Zone 207 - Kivalina - lowest was -70 F.Zone 217 - Makpik Creek Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) - lowest was -82 F.

Event by event

2 blizzard, 2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: March 24, 6:53 PM AST to March 26, 10:53 PM AST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys

When: March 24, 9:00 PM AST to March 27, 4:00 AM AST
Where: Upper Kobuk and Noatak Vlys forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Chukchi Sea Coast

When: March 25, 4:53 AM AST to 9:53 AM AST
Where: Chukchi Sea Coast forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When: March 25, 10:53 AM AST to March 26, 6:21 AM AST
Where: St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait forecast zone
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.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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, March 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: 5237492, 5237495, 5237493, 5237494.