Alaska, 2006

Blizzard in Alaska, February 28, 2006

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

A large storm became stationary over the southwest Bering Sea and the associated weather front moved northeast, likely bringing blizzard conditions to Saint Lawrence Island, as reported by the Gambell AWOS and Savoonga AWOS. Wind gusts reached 58 mph at Gambell, and 55 mph at Savoonga during the event.

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 large storm became stationary over the southwest Bering Sea and the associated weather front moved northeast, likely bringing blizzard conditions to Saint Lawrence Island, as reported by the Gambell AWOS and Savoonga AWOS. Wind gusts reached 58 mph at Gambell, and 55 mph at Savoonga during the event. Event continued into March.

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 Feb 28, 1:40 PM AST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 1:40 PM AST, 6 hours 15 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
140 PM AST TUE FEB 28 2006

.DISCUSSION...

MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR IN THEIR APPROACH TO THE INCOMING WEST
COAST STORM ON WED AND THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN
INTERIOR. THE GFS IS A LITTLE DEEPER THAN THE ETA AND THAT SEEMS
TO BE CORRECT LOOKING AT THE 18Z INITIALIZATION. THE UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE CURRENTLY OVER THE WEST COAST WILL SLOWLY TRANSITION TO THE
EAST AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE
STATE PUSHES EASTWARD. THIS WILL TAKE THE FAIRLY COLD TEMPERATURES
ALOFT WITH IT AND SPILL THE COLDER UPPER LEVEL AIR INTO WESTERN
CANADA.

AS THE INCOMING STORM BEGINS TO IMPACT THE WEST COAST ON WEDNESDAY
WITH DECENT SNOWFALL POTENTIAL OVER THE UPSLOPE TERRAIN AND THE
RELATIVELY STRONG SURFACE WINDS TO IMPACT MOST OF THE WEST COAST
ZONES BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT. THESE AREAS WILL SEE BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS AS THE RELATIVELY STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE
LOW IN THE BERING SEA AND THE HIGH OVER NORTHEAST ALASKA DEVELOPS.
THERE SHOULD BE NO MIXED PRECIPITATION AS THIS LOW IS FAIRLY WELL
CUT OFF FROM THE STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW AND HAS DECENT COLD AIR TO
WORK WITH FROM ITS ORIGIN.

THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW ALONG MANY OF THE WEST COAST ZONES
RESULTS FROM THE STORM SLAMMING INTO THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER
THE INTERIOR AND THEN THE RIDGE STALLING IN ITS EASTWARD PROGRESS.
THIS WILL KEEP MOISTURE BEING PUMPED INTO THE WEST COAST AS THE
LOW WILL BE UNABLE TO PROGRESS EASTWARD. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL
REMAIN OUT IN FAR EAST RUSSIA. THE ENERGY EVENTUALLY SLIDES
SOUTHWARD INTO THE GULF WHERE A SUBSEQUENT LOW DEVELOPS.

PRESENTLY...MODELS SUGGEST THAT ANOTHER DECENT SHOT OF SNOW WILL
HIT THE WEST COAST FROM THE SEWARD PENINSULA SOUTHWARD FRIDAY NIGHT
AND SATURDAY. AGAIN...THIS LOW WILL NOT POSSESS THE WARM AIR FROM
THE SOUTH BUT ONLY A MARITIME MODIFIED AIRMASS THAT WILL STILL
REMAIN FAIRLY COLD IN THE UPPER LEVELS...TOO COLD TO PROVIDE MIXED
PRECIPITATION ONCE AGAIN.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WATCH FOR AKZ212-AKZ215.

WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ208-AKZ209-AKZ217-AKZ223-AKZ224-
AKZ226.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ207-AKZ210-AKZ214.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ207-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ213-AKZ214.

BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR AKZ211.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225.
&&

CF FEB 06

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, St Lawrence Is. Bering Strait

When
February 28, 7:55 PM AST to 11:59 PM 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.

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, February 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: 5493063.