Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, March 4 to 5, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, March 4 to 5, 2001
Start: 2001-03-04T13:20
End: 2001-03-05T21:00
Location: Alaska

March 4 to 5, 2001 · NWS AFC · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A moderate front, moving into the area from the southeast, was preceded by gusty east winds along the Anchorage Upper Hillside and areas along and adjacent to Turnagain Arm. Snowfall amounts exceeded 1 foot from the storm at mid and upper elevations of Mount Alyeska and also in Turnagain Pass (which was subsequently closed).

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 moderate front, moving into the area from the southeast, was preceded by gusty east winds along the Anchorage Upper Hillside and areas along and adjacent to Turnagain Arm. By Monday evening, the front lay in a weakening arc from the southern Alaska Range into southwest Alaska and just west of Nunivak Island.Snowfall amounts exceeded 1 foot from the storm at mid and upper elevations of Mount Alyeska and also in Turnagain Pass (which was subsequently closed). 36 hour snowfall, ending at 6 pm Monday, was reported at up to 4 feet around Grandview...with heavy snow still falling at that time. In a 24 hour period, Turnagain Pass received 2 feet of new snow, with 10 inches recorded at Moose Pass (just north of Seward). Winds peaked at 66 mph at Glenn Alps along the upper hillside of Anchorage twice between 11 am and 2 pm Monday. Winds peaked at 77 mph at the Portage Visitor Center around 11:36 pm Sunday.

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: March 4, 1:20 PM AST to March 5, 1:02 AM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns

When: March 5, 12:00 AM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Wrn P.W. Snd & Kenai Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek

When: March 5, 11:00 AM AST to 2:00 PM AST
Where: Anchorage Muni to Bird Creek forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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

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: 5230717, 5230718, 5230716.