Alaska, 2006

Blizzard in Alaska, April 28, 2006

April 28, 2006 · NWS AFG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A low pressure center in the Gulf of Alaska with high pressure over Far East Russia set up locally strong winds at Kivalina, likely resulting in blizzard conditions, as reported by the ASOS at that location.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

A low pressure center in the Gulf of Alaska with high pressure over Far East Russia set up locally strong winds at Kivalina, likely resulting in blizzard conditions, as reported by the ASOS at that location.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 28, 4:41 AM AST, 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 4:41 AM AST, 57 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
541 AM ADT FRI APR 28 2006

.DISCUSSION...
THE LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER MAINLAND ALASKA AND THE GULF OF ALASKA
WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUN AND POSSIBLY LONGER. THIS MEANS BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND AREAS OF SNOW PERSISTING THROUGH THE
WEEKEND, AND POSSIBLY INTO NEXT WEEK.

MODELS INITIALIZE WELL AND SIMILAR SOLUTIONS AT THE SURFACE.
ONE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE 500 MB PATTERN WHERE THE GFS DROPS A
SHORT WAVE FROM THE CHUKCHI SEA SOUTH ALONG THE WEST COAST OF
ALASKA ON SAT. THIS WILL CAUSE GUSTY WINDS ALONG WEST COAST SAT.

A THE OCCLUDED FRONT FROM ANCHORAGE TO A 990 MB LOW NEAR NORTHWAY
WILL DRIFT SLOWLY NORTH TODAY AND THEN DISSIPATE SLOWLY TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS IS NOW CAUSING MODERATE SNOW AT NORTHWAY
WITH ABOUT 2 INCHES IN THE LAST TWO HOURS. THIS WILL SPREAD A
CHANCE OF SNOW NORTH TO CENTRAL AND WEST TO HEALY TODAY WITH UP
TO 4 INCHES IN UPLSOPE AREAS ALONG THE ALASKA RANGE. EXPECT STORM
TOTALS THROUGH TONIGHT UP TO 5 INCHES IN THE TOK AREA AND 6 INCHES
IN THE EASTERN ALASKA RANGE.

THIS FRONT COMBINED WITH A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE NORTH
SLOPE IS CAUSING NORTHEAST WINDS 15-25 KT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA
SOUTH OF THE BROOKS RANGE. THE WINDS WILL DECREASE TONIGHT AS THE
WEATHER FRONT STARTS TO WEAKEN.

A TROUGH ALOFT OVER NORTON SOUND WILL MOVE SOUTH OF THE YUKON
DELTA THIS AFTERNOON. FLURRIES AND NORTH WINDS G30 KT ALONG THIS
TROUGH WILL DECREASE NORTH OF THE TROUGH.

A SURFACE TROUGH WILL APPROACH THE EASTERN ARCTIC COAST FROM THE
NORTH FRI NIGHT AND MOVE ALONG THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE SAT.
THIS WILL KEEP FLURRIES ALONG THE EASTERN ARCTIC COAST AND
INCREASE WINDS AGAIN TONIGHT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225-PKZ245.
&&

JB APR 06

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Chukchi Sea Coast

When
April 28, 5:38 AM AST to 4:11 PM AST
Where
Chukchi Sea Coast 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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Alaska in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, April 2006

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: 5498679.